Women who 'sell' themselves to human traffickers

Sell ​​yourself for 35 million dong

Lu Thi Q. (born in 1967), residing in Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong, is a victim of human trafficking. Q. used to be an official of the Women's Union of the village, then became the head of a loan group.

In 2005, Q. was honored to become a party member. This shows that Q.'s awareness of the law and society is not limited like many women in remote areas. Therefore, Q.'s becoming a victim of human trafficking makes people blame rather than pity her.

Victim Lu Thi Q. Photo: Nhu Binh

In 2014, Q. coincidentally met Vi Thi Ly (born in 1973, residing in Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong. Ly then met Luong Van Kham (born in 1989), residing in Chieu Luu commune, Ky Son. Kham's mother was married and living in China, so she asked her son to find women to sell here. For each woman she brought to China, Kham would be paid 40-50 million VND.

Kham discussed with Ly, promising to give Ly 10-20 million VND. Even though he knew Q. already had a husband and children, Ly still invited Q. to go to China to get married, and if she went, he would pay her 35 million VND. At that time, Q.'s family owed the bank more than 20 million VND, and was about to pay it off.

Thinking that marrying a Chinese man would help her pay off her debt and have some extra money, Q. agreed. However, the woman gave her the condition that she would only marry for 12 months and then return. Q. told her husband and children that she would go to China to work and then follow the human traffickers to China.

However, the plan did not go as Q. planned. When he was taken to China by Ly and Kham's group, Q. was sold by Kham's mother to a disabled man.

Q. refused to marry this man and asked to go home. Kham's mother picked Q. up and handed her over to two other women. These two women sold Q. to a divorced man in Hebei Province, China.

It is unclear how much they sold the 47-year-old woman for, but they gave Q. 30 million VND to send to her family. The marriage with the Chinese husband did not last 1 year as Q. had calculated.

After selling Q., Kham, Ly and Kham's mother also cut off contact with this woman. Her husband's family was poor, they didn't even have a piece of torn clothing to wear, so Q. had to work hard on the farm all year round, taking care of her husband's family's expenses and saving money to plan to escape back to Vietnam.

Luong Van Kham and Vi Thi Ly in court. Photo: Nhu Binh

In 2016, when she had saved up some money, Q. asked her husband to return to Vietnam to visit his family but was refused. “I lied to my husband that I was returning to Vietnam to bring my children and grandchildren. Thinking that more people would mean more people working, my husband agreed to let me return and even gave me some money for travel expenses.”

Back home, it was not until early 2019 that Lu Thi Q. filed a complaint against Luong Van Kham and Vi Thi Ly to the investigation agency because she was “so angry that they did not keep their promise. They said they would only marry for 12 months, but when they went there, they cut off contact and forced me to stay with my Chinese husband for 3 years.”

It seems that Q. did not realize that the core of the problem was that human trafficking would be prosecuted, but simply and immediately denounced it, demanding compensation of 35 million VND. At the trial, Q. asked for a lighter sentence for the defendants but still insisted on paying the full 35 million VND.

Return empty-handed

In 2014, Mong Thi X., a resident of Bac Ly commune, Ky Son, was just 20 years old and was nearly 6 months pregnant with her third child. Her young husband was always immersed in alcohol, and with two young children, X.'s life was surrounded by constant hunger and poverty. Not only that, X. was also beaten and abused by her husband, even when she was pregnant.

Confiding her story to Cut Thi Hanh (born in 1974), residing in Na Loi commune, Ky Son, Hanh expressed sympathy and confided that X. would marry a Chinese man, escape from her abusive husband, and have a new, happier, more fulfilling life.

Although she was pregnant, Hanh's sweet words made the young wife who was bored with her husband agree immediately. Of course, X. did not leave empty-handed but asked Hanh to pay him 30 million VND.

Cut Van Hue and Cut Thi Hanh at the trial. Photo: Nhu Binh

Leaving behind two young children, this pregnant woman followed the group of Cut Thi Hanh, Cut Van Hue (born in 1978), residing in Pha Danh commune, Ky Son and Cut Van Ba ​​(born in 1995, Hanh's son) to China and was sold for 180 million VND.

In this deal, Hue received 11 million VND, Cut Thi Hanh and her daughter received 20 million VND, but X.'s family did not receive the money as promised between Hanh and M. before. In November 2018, X. escaped back to Vietnam.

While Lu Thi Q. was still welcomed by her husband and children because before leaving, this woman announced that she was going to work in China, Moong Thi X. was left empty-handed when her dream of a foreign husband did not come true.

After 4 years of returning, X.'s ex-husband had remarried, and the two children had been without their mother for a long time, and they felt strange towards her. People also did not see X. bring back the child that was still in her womb when she left.

Her dream of changing her life by marrying a foreigner was shattered, and X. could not keep her family. She has now moved back to live with her parents. The price of ignorance, gullibility and greed is too high!

Regarding the above human trafficking cases, Nghe An Provincial People's Court sentenced Luong Van Kham to 5 years in prison, Vi Thi Ly to 4 years in prison, Cut Van Hue to 4 years and 6 months in prison, and Cut Thi Hanh to 3 years and 6 months in prison. As for Cut Van Ba, he fled the locality and is currently wanted.