Prevention of Women Trafficking in Hai Duong Province

Beginning in 2006, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has been assisting the 8 March Employment Centre of the Hai Duong Women's Union in implementing a program aimed at preventing and educating the public about trafficking in women. The 8 March Centre is named for International Women’s Day.

Hai Duong Women's Union's took part in capacity building training

Background to the project

With the growing conversion of land from agricultural to industrial use, many farmers are becoming landless, unemployed and more vulnerable to exploitation. Those in rural areas are facing poor economic circumstances, with limited access to information and opportunity. This project, aimed at preventing and educating people about the trafficking in women, has been designed to directly address these issues. and their direct results.

According to official 2005 statistics, 250 people in Hai Duong province were trafficked to China. Of these, 248 were women and 2 were children. Documented methods include Vietnamese pimps pretending to court village girls to bring them to the city, and then selling them to brothels or to forced labour. Poor women and children are most vulnerable because of their low economic status and lack of information. Vietnam has long borders with three countries of Laos, Cambodia and China, thus trafficking on women and children occurs in many provinces nationwide. However, due to the stigma towards victims of trafficking, many women do not come forward to be counted.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and the 8 March Centre have initiated a prevention of trafficking in women project in order to address this problem. Trafficking in women is a problem that needs to be handled sensitively and comprehensively to ensure that the communities and authorities understand this problem and the impact it has on the women involved.

Project funding & local partner

With funding from the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, this project is being implemented by Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA in partnership with the 8 March Employment Centre of the Hai Duong Women's Union, which is working through the provincial Women's Union and the District Women's Unions of Kim Thanh, Chi Linh and Cam Giang provinces.

Project objectives & activities

The project's overall objective is to alleviate and combat the trafficking in women and children in Hai Duong. The project's immediate activities are:

• Community education on anti-trafficking in women and children for 900 households in three districts.
• Supporting 60 repatriated women in three districts to re-integrate into their community by through livelihoods support, vocational training, and
• Improving communication skills of 20 staff from the Women's Unions, and the March 8 Centre's related offices. These 20 staff members will become key persons in communication on trafficking issues within the province.

Project strategies

This project, through its support and capacity building networks assists the Hai Duong Women's Union in implementing the following long term strategies:

1. Income generation/poverty alleviation measures (including vocational education) for marginalised women returned from being trafficked,
2. Livestock and animal husbandry training is included in vocational education options for women prioritised because of their vulnerability,
3. Improving local economic governance through capacity building training for management of micro credit loans and through building local marketing networks (i.e. improving productivity and links to markets for the rural poor),
4. Combating trafficking of women and children in high risk areas of Hai Duong Province through prevention, support and capacity building activities,
5. Empowerment of women and support networks to improve human rights standards, knowledge and education systems,
6. Supporting pilot activities which can be replicated in other provinces, and
7. Strengthening local support and sustainability.

Project summary

Through the assistance of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, this project has involved developing local authorities' ability to maintain a database, analyse information and design an overall plan for anti-trafficking. Twenty staff members have been given the opportunity to increase their communication skills so they can disseminate information to the community successfully. Training has been provided to 20 members of the local Project Management Board on project management, evaluation and monitoring. The project has trained local government authorities and police to help combat the lack of recognition of women trafficking at an official level, and to encourage effective enforcement of relevant criminal laws.

This program is continuing to raise the awareness of over 10,000 people through television and radio items and the distribution of leaflets, guide books, posters, interactive questionnaires and topic talks. Through this project 900 households in the district will be made aware of the risks of trafficking. The local Women's Unions are giving support given to women who have been trafficked and had many aspects of their former lives destroyed.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA's project with the 8 March Centre has allowed women who were trafficked a way to improve their lives through support networks with other women, access to vocational skills training, access to loans to help rebuild their lives, and access to markets and jobs. This project aims to destroy the stigma and discrimination towards returned women through education in the community about trafficking, prevention strategies and knowledge about the implications, effects and dangers associated with trafficking.

By assisting the 8 March Centre, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA hopes to develop the capacity of local authorities and bodies to continue to improve the plight of trafficked women throughout Vietnam.

Recent project activities

A workshop was held in the Chi Linh District, Hai Duong Province 23 August 2006. Hai Duong Province is located along National Road No. 5 which is not far from the border with China (about two hours by car). According to the official records of Chi Linh District, 282 women have been trafficked in 2006 (data sourced from the district authority in 2006). However, it is believed that the actual figures are much higher.

Forty-three participants, representing grassroots women's union groups, the People's Committee, district authorities and the mass media took part in the workshop. The workshop was a part of the community consultation process to identify the issues surrounding trafficking and to identify practical steps to address them.

Along with countering false information spread by the traffickers, the women's unions will be supporting women who have returned or escaped from the traffickers through income generation activities.

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 21-Mar-2007 15:03:12 EST
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