Nghe An: Deploying peak campaigns to suppress human trafficking crimes

Fight and handle strictly

Taking advantage of economic difficulties and limited awareness and legal knowledge of ethnic minorities, human traffickers often use the trick of recruiting workers to work in companies, recruiting sales staff, recruiting female workers for hire or inviting them to do business with high wages and easy work to deceive women and children.

Typically, in early March 2022, the Nam Can International Border Guard Station received a complaint from Ms. Hoa Thi H., residing in Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district, accusing her of being tricked and sold abroad by some subjects. After investigating and verifying that there were signs of a human trafficking ring, the Nam Can International Border Guard Station coordinated with the Drug and Crime Prevention Department, Muong Ai Border Guard Station, and Ky Son District Police to investigate and clarify the matter.

Subject Lo Van Cau. Photo: Hai Thuong

Through investigation, it was discovered that the mastermind of the ring was Kha Thi Van, from Binh Chuan commune (Con Cuong), currently hiding abroad; Le Thi Ngoc, residing in Cau Tam village, Ta Ca commune (Ky Son) was the broker and Lo Van Cau (Ngoc's uncle), residing in Chon village, Xieng My commune (Tuong Duong) was the one who transferred the victims. At the Border Guard investigation agency, Ngoc and Cau admitted to human trafficking across the border.

More heartbreakingly, there are cases where the victims were tricked and sold by acquaintances in the commune, village, or family members. Like the story of a father selling his daughter that happened in Bao Nam commune, Ky Son district. Accordingly, in dire straits due to illness and hospitalization, Lo Pho Pheng, born in 1975, residing in Nam Tien 2 village, contacted Lo Thi Cam, residing in Dinh Son 1 village, Huu Kiem commune (Pheng's niece) to find a way to sell his daughter Lo Thi May C (who was not yet 16 years old when sold) to China.

Then Lo Thi Cam came to discuss and asked Moong Thi Xum (living in the same village) to take C. to China to sell because Xum had a daughter who married a Chinese man. With the help of her daughter, Moong Thi Xum took C. to China and sold her for 40,000 Yuan (about 120 million VND). After returning to Vietnam, Xum paid Cam 3 million VND for the work, gave Pheng 110 million VND, and Xum took 7 million VND.

Defendants Lo Pho Pheng, Mong Thi Xum, and Lo Thi Cam at the trial on April 14, 2022. Photo: Tran Vu

After a period of being a foreign wife, on October 1, 2021, C. escaped back to Vietnam and filed a complaint with the police. From the victim's complaint, the three subjects Pheng, Cam, and Xum were arrested. At the time C. was sold, she was only 13 years, 4 months, and 24 days old.

On April 14, 2022, Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced defendant Lo Pho Pheng to 14 years in prison, Moong Thi Xum to 13 years in prison, and Lo Thi Cam to 12 years in prison for the crime of Trafficking in persons under 16 years of age.

According to the authorities, in addition to the cases of being tricked and sold, there are also some subjects who were victims of human trafficking or escaped to marry abroad, then returned to the village to trick the victims they knew. Or the victim was the one who proactively offered to be taken to China to get married, such as the case of Ms. Luong Thi L. (born in 1996), residing in Pha Danh commune, Ky Son district, when she went to the house of an acquaintance in the village, Luong Thi Hoa, to visit. Knowing that Hoa was preparing to go to China because her younger sister was married there, L. proactively offered to take her to China to get married. After discussing with her younger sister, Hoa took Ms. L. to China through an illegal route.

Defendant Luong Thi Hoa was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Photo: Tran Vu

At Hoa's younger sister Luong Thi Hinh's house, L. agreed to marry a Chinese man among those who came to see her. Hinh then sold L. to this man for 192 million VND. Hinh gave her sister 6.5 million VND to return home. At the same time, she sent 90 million VND to L.'s parents. In October 2020, Luong Thi L. returned to Vietnam. On August 11, 2021, Luong Thi Hoa's human trafficking was exposed. The investigation agency determined that in this case, the defendant benefited 6.5 million VND. On April 25, 2022, Nghe An Provincial People's Court opened a trial and sentenced defendant Luong Thi Hoa to 4 years in prison for "Human trafficking".

TIn the first 6 months of 2022, functional forces in Nghe An province discovered, investigated, clarified, and arrested 8 cases and 12 subjects related to crimes of human trafficking, trafficking of people under 16 years old, and trafficking of children.

Strengthening prevention and suppression solutions

With the motto of early prevention, from afar, from the grassroots, in recent times, the work of propagating and disseminating laws on preventing human trafficking has been focused on by the entire political system with a variety of contents and forms, suitable to customs, practices, subjects and ethnic groups.

Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, Youth Union, and Provincial Student Association organized a communication program to prevent and combat drugs and human trafficking in Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong). Photo: Thanh Quynh

Direct propaganda methods, on cyberspace and social applications, through newspapers, television, loudspeaker systems, leaflets, magazines, billboards, etc. In addition, functional branches and local Party committees and authorities also focus on building, maintaining and replicating specific models such as: "Prevention and combat of human trafficking crimes" in Luu Thang village, Chieu Luu commune and Dinh Son 2 village, Huu Kiem commune, Ky Son district; "Safe village for women and children" in Tan Son commune, Do Luong district; "Prevention of child marriage" in Huoi Son village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district; "Prevention of human trafficking and unsafe migration" with the "Peace" club in Chau Ly commune, Quy Hop district; "Supporting the community to prevent human trafficking" in Tam Quang and Nga My communes, Tuong Duong district.

Communication activities to prevent and combat human trafficking. Photo: Ba Hau

To improve the effectiveness of the fight against human trafficking, on March 16, 2022, the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 179/KH-UBND with the following key objectives: Strengthening communication and propaganda on crime prevention; further improving the effectiveness of the fight, investigation and handling of crimes, especially new methods and tricks of crime; effectively implementing the work of receiving and supporting victims of human trafficking to reintegrate into the community.

Nghe An police coordinated with functional forces to hand over the victim of human trafficking to his family. Photo: Trong Tuan

Ensure that 100% of denunciations, crime reports, petitions, and prosecutions related to human trafficking crimes are received, classified, and the resolution rate reaches over 90%. Cases with signs of human trafficking crimes must be accepted, investigated, and verified. When there is sufficient basis, criminal cases must be initiated for investigation in accordance with the provisions of law. The rate of investigation and discovery of human trafficking cases reaches over 90% of the total number of cases prosecuted; 95% of human trafficking cases are resolved and prosecuted; 90% of cases are resolved and tried.

The Criminal Police Department (Nghe An Police) discovered, rescued and returned to their hometowns 3 pregnant women who had crossed the border to sell their children abroad. Photo: Trong Tuan

Recently, on July 19, 2022, the People's Committee of Nghe An province continued to issue Plan No. 519/KH-UBND on implementing activities in response to the National Day for Prevention and Combat of Human Trafficking (July 30). It requires maintaining the operation and upgrading the "Peaceful House" model to support victims of trafficking; building a model of legal support and livelihood support for returning victims of trafficking, helping them reintegrate into the community sustainably.

Deploy peak campaigns to suppress human trafficking crimes in the whole province from July 1 to September 30, 2022, focusing on border areas, mountainous areas, ethnic minorities, and places with especially difficult economic and social conditions; promptly verify, rescue and support victims of trafficking.

The Provincial People's Committee also requested sectors and localities to pay attention to labor and employment issues for high-risk groups, vulnerable to fraud such as: people of working age who are unemployed; people who have lost their jobs due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, people in difficult circumstances, broken marriages, victims of domestic violence... Along with that, proactively review and administratively inspect conditional business establishments, industrial parks, resorts, entertainment areas, and border areas where criminals often take advantage to commit crimes, thereby detecting and preventing human trafficking crimes.