Efforts to stop women trafficking

(Baonghean) - The situation of kidnapping and trafficking of women in Con Cuong district in recent years has become extremely complicated. Taking advantage of gullibility, trust, and difficult terrain, human traffickers use all means to deceive, threaten, and kidnap women to sell to bad guys across the border.

VT H, born in 1997, in Hong Thang village, Don Phuc commune, was once invited by a woman of unknown origin to go to work far away, but in fact, the subject sold H to a factory owner in China. Luckily, she escaped and returned to her hometown, but until now, H still cannot hide her fear. She shared: Because her family life was difficult, she listened to the woman's enticement to go to China with the hope of earning more income to support her family. However, when she crossed the border, she was imprisoned, tortured and forced to work. There, there were also many Vietnamese women and children who shared the same fate as her. Luckily, during a careless factory guarding incident, she escaped and found a way to approach the Vietnamese border guards. After that, she was brought back to her hometown.

VT H's case is just one of many victims of human trafficking occurring in the mountainous district of Con Cuong. According to a report by the Con Cuong District Police, from 2011 to 2014 alone, the District Police received 14 petitions denouncing subjects who illegally sent people abroad. Of which, the District Police investigated and clarified 5 cases, 8 subjects; prosecuted 4 cases, 4 defendants related to the trafficking of women and children. A typical example is Project 814N "fighting against human trafficking crimes", arresting subject Vi Van Vien (born 1966), in Yen Village, Mon Son Commune, Con Cuong District, for the act of trafficking 5 people to China....

Faced with the complicated situation of human trafficking crimes, the Con Cuong District Women's Union actively coordinated with departments, branches, organizations, and local authorities to organize many forms of propaganda, PBPL, and raise awareness for women in villages. Specifically: Through meetings with people, integrated with women's union activities; performing skits and scenes with propaganda content, preventing human trafficking; hanging slogans, distributing leaflets, opening many legal education bookcases to villages; coordinating with the police force, youth union... to organize legal communication on preventing and combating human trafficking crimes. The Union selected 7 particularly difficult communes to hold propaganda rallies and parades on preventing and combating human trafficking crimes, attracting more than 3,500 participants. In addition, effectively maintaining the activities of women's clubs in each village has created a change in awareness, helping women better understand the consequences of being tricked into working far away, thereby equipping themselves with knowledge and skills to prevent and combat human trafficking crimes.

A typical example is the “Shield” Club in Hong Dien village, Don Phuc commune. Established in July 2013, the “Shield” Club attracts 30 members. Every week, the Club organizes women’s meetings, combined with communication work, preventing and combating human trafficking. Through various forms of propaganda, through documents, images, real stories about the plots, tricks, and methods of operation of human traffickers, etc., awareness of women in Hong Dien village has been raised; the situation of buying, selling, luring, and enticing women to work far away has been controlled. Ms. La Thi Ha, President of the Con Cuong District Women’s Union, said: Another important solution to retain women in the locality is to actively support economic development, create jobs, and increase income for members. Accordingly, the District Women's Union has maintained the operation of more than 500 savings groups, calling on nearly 6,000 members to donate more than 190 million VND, for more than 350 women in need of business loans.

Every year, from budget sources, the District Women's Union organizes 2-4 vocational training classes for women, mainly in brocade weaving, broom making and new occupations such as vermicelli making, rice paper making and cooking. As a result, after training, about 30-40% of women continue to follow and develop their profession, increasing their income by 2-3 million VND/month.

As a result, as of June 30, 2015, the number of women working away from home in the district has decreased to 1,091, of which 38 have left without a clear address. This result shows that in addition to the drastic participation of authorities at all levels and functional forces, the Women's Union at all levels of Con Cuong district has demonstrated the role and responsibility of the organization in the work of preventing and combating trafficking of women and children.

Van Anh