1/10 of exported workers are being exploited, trafficked, and enslaved.
(Baonghean.vn) - That is the information given by a representative of the International Organization for Migration at the training workshop on ethical recruitment and corporate responsibility in eliminating slavery and human trafficking, co-organized by the Women's Union of Nghe An province on the morning of September 27.
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| Attending the workshop were representatives of leaders of departments, branches and sectors; Women's Unions of some districts, cities, wards and communes in the area; 20 enterprises recruiting workers to work abroad; colleges and vocational schools in the province. Photo: Thanh Son |
The International Organization for Migration is the United Nations migration agency. It assists governments and migrants in promoting humane and orderly migration, fosters international cooperation on migration issues, supports the search for practical solutions to migration problems, and provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced persons. As of 2016, the organization has 165 member states, 8 observer states, and 480 offices in more than 100 countries around the world. |
At the workshop, the representative of the International Organization for Migration's delegation in Vietnam said: Currently, the world has 250 million international migrants and 750 million internal migrants. Their remittances bring in about 650 billion USD each year.
International migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation. There are an estimated 21 million victims of forced labor, half of whom are in the Asia-Pacific region.
Migrant workers are exploited and coerced in various forms such as paying high recruitment fees, having their passports withheld, being forced into hard labor, being enslaved by debt, and being provided with false information. Most of them are working in the garment and agricultural industries.
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| Representatives of the International Organization for Migration's delegation in Vietnam attended the workshop. Photo: Thanh Son |
During the workshop, representatives of the International Organization for Migration discussed, exchanged and shared general information on human trafficking and slavery; solutions to prevent this situation...; especially emphasizing the role of businesses in ethical and transparent recruitment to eliminate slavery and human trafficking.
Accordingly, businesses today are under increasing pressure to prove that the inputs of their products and services are not related to slavery and human trafficking. If they cannot prove this, businesses may face brand, financial and legal losses.
Labor recruitment enterprises in Vietnam in general and Nghe An in particular still do not have much knowledge and awareness around the issue of slavery and human trafficking. Many enterprises are involved, unintentionally involved in forced labor through subcontractors, temporary recruitment or through geographical and third parties.
To overcome the above problems, labor recruitment enterprises need to participate in the international integrity recruitment system with a multilateral certification process with principles and standards based on fairness for workers, recruiters, and employers such as: prohibiting recruitment fees from job seekers, respecting the law, respecting human dignity and human rights.
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| Ms. Le Thi Tam - President of Nghe An Women's Union expressed her hope that agencies and businesses would properly implement ethical recruitment principles. Photo: Thanh Son |
The International Organization for Migration will support training for businesses on slavery and human trafficking; pre-departure and post-arrival orientation for migrant workers; supply chain assessments and ethical recruitment models.
This workshop has contributed to helping agencies, departments, organizations and businesses understand and effectively implement the principles of ethical recruitment, preventing labor exploitation, slavery and human trafficking to protect workers in general and migrants in particular during business operations.
Nghe An is a province with a large population, a large labor force, and many difficulties in local economic conditions. In recent years, the political system from the province to the grassroots has always paid attention to implementing solutions for economic development and job creation. In particular, the province has determined to create conditions for rural workers to move to work in the industrial sector and to migrate workers to work abroad. At the same time, social organizations also have many activities to support businesses in recruiting workers and training workers to work abroad. For many years, Nghe An has been the leading locality in the country in terms of the number of people going to work abroad. To date, the total number of workers in the province working abroad is about 61,000 people. The income that this force sends back home annually is estimated at 255 million USD. |
Thanh Son