2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT - VIETNAM - PART 3 of

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 HANOI 000179 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR G/TIP, G-ACBlank, INL, DRL, PRM, EAP/MLS, and EAP/RSP, USAID/ANE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB VM SUBJECT: 2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT - VIETNAM - PART 3 of 3 HANOI 00000179 001.2 OF 009 ¶G. Numbers of TIP Victims Indentified MOLISA and the VWU reported that in 2008, there were over 3,000 TIP victim returnees (identified officially or informally),of which 80 percent were provided government assistance. The GVN claimed to have resettled and reintegrated 310 individuals out of the 410 officially identified returnees in 2008. The official number of returnees represents a slight decrease in the officially reported number from 2007 of 450 returning victims. However, MOLISA and VWU's combined number of officially identified victims and those identified outside the official system is significantly higher and reflects the GVN's growing recognition of the scale of the problem. Both NGOs and government officials acknowledge that this number of victims is still apt to be conservative. ¶H. Identification of Victims by Immigration, Law Enforcement and Social Services In May 2008, the GVN enacted Inter-Ministerial Circular 03 between, MFA, MPS, and the Border Guard. The document defines cross-border TIP victims, delineates responsibility for identifying victims and establishes procedures for referring victims to care upon return to Vietnam. Also in May, the MPS Immigration Department issued Decision 2068 on the issuance of forms used for trafficked women and children returning from overseas. Under the new regulations, women and children are identified as victims of cross-border trafficking for the purposes of exploitation (forced commercial sex or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, or removal of body organs) if they are forced or the threat of force is used against them, they are kidnapped and taken across borders, or they are cheated, taken advantage of, or taken overseas in exchange for other material interest (i.e. sold). The regulation tasks different government offices with the responsibility for officially identifying victims, depending on the victims' circumstances: -- The MPS Department of Immigration, in cooperation with the border province MPS Immigration Department, is responsible for identifying victims who return through bilateral arrangements with another country. -- Vietnamese diplomatic representatives overseas are responsible for identifying victims who are discovered while still overseas. -- The Border Guard at border crossings is responsible for identifying victims who are rescued or freely return via the land border. -- Provincial MPS Department of Immigration in the victim's home province are responsible for identifying victims who have returned home without entering via an official border crossing or without having been identified as a victim at the official border crossing (e.g. cases that come to light after the victim returns home). This is a positive development; however, as with the new referral system put in place by the same Circular, the official identification system is only just beginning to be effective. A senior MOLISA official acknowledged that the system will continue to experience significant growing pains as officials are trained and advised of their responsibilities. One gap, as identified by NGOs and international organizations, is that the definition and identification system does not include victims of internal trafficking. GVN officials recognize this, but insist that in practice internal trafficking victims are provided the same services as cross-border victims. ¶I. Respect for Victims' Rights Trafficking survivors returning to Vietnam are not detained, arrested or placed in protective custody against their will. The GVN routinely sends prostitutes to "rehabilitation centers" where they receive medical care and vocational training during a period of detention. Trafficking survivors are not sent to these centers unless they are caught engaging in prostitution after their return to Vietnam. MOLISA officials report that trafficking victims have the opportunity to enter a prostitute rehabilitation center voluntarily to take advantage of the medical care and vocational training, but that this is very rare due to the social and cultural HANOI 00000179 002.2 OF 009 stigma associated with prostitution. Victims of internal trafficking for prostitution run the risk of being sent to rehabilitation centers. However, police and local government officials in Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, and other provinces in Vietnam state that the most likely outcome for a victim of internal trafficking caught up in an anti-prostitution sweep would be to be sent back to her home village or district. NGOs reported that interviews with victims bear this out. Post has no information indicating that returned trafficking victims in Vietnam are treated as criminals. In all official meetings, conferences and seminars, and in the press, returnees are referred to as "victims." Our own conversations with trafficking victims also support this. The Director of MOJ's Legal Aid Agency advocated changing the law explicitly to acknowledge the victim status of returnees and the GVN's recent efforts to define, identify, and refer victims to care suggest that the need to avoid "re-victimizing" the victim is one aspects of trafficking better understood by the GVN. ¶J. Victims' Participation in Investigations and Prosecutions According to the MOJ, trafficking victims in Vietnam are encouraged to assist in the investigation and prosecution process. They are also encouraged to file suit against the traffickers. Article 31 of the Criminal Procedures Code explicitly states the right of any Vietnamese citizen to make complaints or statements during criminal proceedings. The Vietnam Women's Union has worked with courts at the local levels to help victims prosecute traffickers and to protect witnesses. Staff at assessment centers and shelters stated that victims are encouraged to participate in legal action against their traffickers. An MPS official in Can Tho stated that his office consistently requested victim participation in investigations, but found that many victims still wish to remain anonymous. There is no data available as to the number of victims who were involved in case prosecutions although, based on media reports, it is believed to be growing. Recent export labor laws and their related implementing documents provide some recourse to victims of labor-based trafficking, although bureaucratic inertia and a lack of resources for victims continue to be challenges. MOLISA is actively negotiating MOUs with labor destination countries, although not all destination countries have been equally cooperative. If a court ruling is against an employer (for example, the employer is sentenced to imprisonment),then compensation will be awarded to the victim by the court, including back pay. Article 29 of the Criminal Procedures Code establishes the right to compensation and the restoration of reputation and other benefits for the victims of injustice, including trafficking. In reality, victims of international labor trafficking often encounter indifference when they attempt to seek redress or request that government officials investigate their cases. Victims may leave Vietnam in accordance with emigration regulations. Witness protection is made available, as necessary (see section 5.A). ¶K. Training for GVN Officials in Identifying Victims and Providing Assistance to Victims The GVN, working with UNODC, UNICEF (focusing on child trafficking) and the VWU, has provided significant anti-TIP training to MPS Police, Border Guard Command and court officials, in particular over the last three years. The USG has supported this training through anti-TIP programs funded under USAID and the Department of State. During the reporting period, UNODC solicited donor support for a follow-on project to build the capacity of Vietnam's justice system and social services to adequately protect and assist victims, build referral mechanisms, enhance rehabilitation and reintegration for victims, and address legal assistance issues, including compensation and other legal recourse for victims. In 2008, in addition to other GVN courses, MOLISA conducted training courses on victim assistance, which included psychological support services, a component which has often been lacking. Both MOLISA and the VWU have produced numerous training documents and are conducting HANOI 00000179 003.2 OF 009 information and education campaigns across the country. Both organizations continue to work closely with international organizations IOM and ILO in this area and counterparts in China, Cambodia, and Thailand under the established anti-TIP MOUs. The MFA regularly intervened to provide assistance in cases of Vietnamese TIP victims trapped overseas, and Vietnamese Embassies had some financial resources to assist with sheltering and repatriation. MFA also worked with MPS in securing travel documentation in such cases. The GVN continued to increase the number of labor attaches sent to embassies located in countries that have the largest number of Vietnamese workers. These attaches are responsible for working with the local authorities, the employers of Vietnamese workers and other Embassy staff members to monitor labor conditions and intervene on behalf of Vietnamese workers if necessary. They also play a role in MOLISA's drive to negotiate export labor MOUs and bilateral agreements with all Vietnamese labor destination countries. In addition, these officers have access to a fund that can be used to help Vietnamese workers who find themselves in a difficult situation (such as an abusive workplace, or a bankrupt employer) to go home. While this provides an important protection for workers while overseas, this fund does not address compensation issues once the worker returns to Vietnam. MFA consular officers receive training on trafficking in persons as part of their regular training program. In addition, MFA officers assigned to Taiwan and Korea receive special briefings on working with Vietnamese women who are married to men from those countries. These officials do not hesitate to work with local or international NGOs, as needed. ¶L. Assistance to Repatriated Victims of Trafficking In January 2007, the GVN issued Decision No. 17, on receiving and providing assistance to TIP victims returning from abroad and reintegrating them into their communities. The regulation assures rights, legitimate interests, dignity and non-discrimination for trafficking victims and provides for living skills, vocational training and financial aid, depending on circumstances. The GVN also specifically allocated funds for such activities. As mentioned previously in this report, new regulations now govern the referral of victims to care (see section 5.5.F) and, in accordance with the NPA, MOLISA and the VWU share responsibility for longer term care of trafficking victims (see section 5.E). The VWU has facilitated training of the Border Guard Command on how to identify, process, and support trafficking victims. The GVN has also established a global fund that overseas Vietnamese Embassies and consulates can tap into to assist in the repatriation of trafficking victims. This has typically been used in egregious labor cases. Anti-TIP MOUs with Cambodia, China, and Thailand have helped establish guidelines and standards for the processing and re-entry of victims. Some international NGOs have complained to us of poor coordination, corruption and delays in processing Vietnamese victims in shelters on the Cambodian side of the border. The return of trafficking victims from Cambodia improved overall, however, with fewer reports of victims without nationality documents facing undue bureaucratic red tape upon arrival in Vietnam. Some of these victims return to Vietnam on their own and are unable to tap into healthcare, education and other public benefits that require official residence. MOLISA, the VWU, the MOJ Legal Aid Agency, and some NGOs assist victims in resolving these often legally complex problems. The assessment centers and shelters are also increasingly equipped to assist with documentation issues. Most victims are able to establish residency, following the normal but lengthy bureaucratic procedures. The 2007 export labor law re-mandates use of a fund created in 2004 for the protection and welfare of overseas workers, allowing the GVN to assist overseas workers in distress without requiring workers to rely on either the labor export companies responsible for sending them overseas or the employers in the host country. This allows the GVN to use public funds to repatriate workers whose employment situation outside of Vietnam deteriorates to the point that they need assistance to return to Vietnam. HANOI 00000179 004.2 OF 009 ¶M. International Organizations and NGOs International Organizations and NGOs, along with a handful of domestic NGOs, provide support to victims through financial support from international donors, including the U.S., the EU, and the Government of Australia. NGOs and international organizations providing such services in Vietnam include UNIAP, UNODC, UNICEF, IOM and ILO. NGOs include AFESIP, The Asia Foundation, Pacific Links Foundation, and Catholic Relief Services, among others. These organizations work cooperatively with GVN agencies in implementing the 2004-2010 NPA; however, they are largely funded by the international donor community. For this reason, resource constraints are considerable and NGOs face financial challenges to maintain their presence on the ground in Vietnam. Funding from the international donor community, including the USG, has not been consistent. Major ongoing NGO anti-TIP projects in Vietnam include: -- IOM programs focus on the protection of returnees and preventing trafficking. IOM has assisted the GVN with the implementation of its MOUs with China and Cambodia and is active in the regional Mekong project providing assistance to trafficking victims who want to return to Vietnam. IOM works with provincial and implementing partners in managing assessment centers for returning trafficked women, conducting training and capacity building activities, and developing appropriate services to facilitate the reintegration of trafficked women. IOM also conducts prevention and behavior-change activities at the provincial and district levels, especially with the VWU. Since 2004, IOM has worked closely with the USG (USAID, PRM, G/TIP) implementing national-level prevention activities, managing shelters and reintegration assessment centers in Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, An Giang and Lao Cai provinces and developing return and reintegration skills and mechanisms in six additional provinces. -- UNICEF has a Vietnam component to its sub regional anti-trafficking project, which focuses on protection of victims and institutional capacity building, as well as legal reform. UNICEF's project is unique in that it incorporates children themselves in project planning. UNICEF has also conducted training programs for Vietnamese law enforcement, related to identifying and preventing trafficking in children. UNICEF has worked closely with IOM and UNODC on other anti-TIP programs. -- The Asia Foundation (TAF),also funded by the USG, focuses on the prevention of trafficking in Quang Ninh and An Giang provinces. TAF works with Vietnamese NGOs and the Women's Union to improve conditions and opportunities for women in the provinces. Activities include the training of women political candidates and business managers, the provision of micro-credit loans for women starting small businesses and the improvement of cross-border communication. In May 2007, TAF launched a USD $300,000 project, funded by State G/TIP, to combat human trafficking in Vietnam over the next two years, focusing on five key provinces. -- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) continued its two-year anti-trafficking project (started in 2007 and funded by State G/TIP),in the Mekong Delta. The project focuses on safe migration, public awareness, and assistance to TIP victims and returnees. -- The East Meets West Foundation is the lead organization in a partnership called ADAPT - the An Giang/Dong Thap Alliance to Prevent Trafficking. The other organizations are the International Children Assistance Network (ICAN) and the Pacific Links Foundation (PALS),both members of the California-based Vietnamese American NGO Network (VA NGO Network). This partnership's project focuses on prevention, and it launched in the fall of 2005 with a grant from USAID. ADAPT offers scholarships to at-risk girls until they finish high school, covering not only the cost of school fees and supplies, but also after-school tutoring and a high level of community and parental engagement. ADAPT also offers a program to enhance life options for young women who may have left school already and are considering traveling to Cambodia or elsewhere to find work. For these at-risk young women, ADAPT has a program of vocational training combined with job placement. ADAPT also provides reintegration services, including HANOI 00000179 005.2 OF 009 access to health care, counseling, vocational training and other assistance, to trafficking survivors. The current project will end in September 2009. -- AFESIP works to rescue and reintegrate trafficking victims through its rehabilitation center in HCMC, established in 2001. The center provides former trafficking victims with medical and psychological assistance, safe accommodation, educational and vocational training courses. Social workers continue to track reintegrated residents for at least three years, and some former residents have also begun mentoring new women arriving at the center. AFESIP also opened a center in Can Tho in 2005 with assistance from UNICEF. -- UNIAP in Bangkok administers a USD three million (total project cost) project against trafficking in women and children in the Mekong Sub-region, including Vietnam, which attempts to collect data and to improve internal coordination among GVN agencies. -- The Australian Government is funding two projects under the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) project, a five-year initiative that began in 2006 in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. During its second phase (2008-2010),the project includes Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. In March 2008, ARTIP launched a project to assist Vietnam's efforts to prevent trafficking of women and children in northern border province of Lang Son. The one-year project, funded in the amount of approximately USD $57,000, aims to reach 8,000 people, including 2,000 school children and 400 women and children in high risk groups. In December 2008, ARTIP undertook a two-year project to help to increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and the judiciary to tackle human trafficking, while protecting the rights of the victims. The project will also help Vietnam to develop and adjust its policies and legal framework, allowing it to prevent and deal with human trafficking-related crimes more effectively. Professional training and the provision of facilities for authorized Vietnamese agencies are among the other aims of the project. -- World Vision launched a project in the central province of Quang Tri in August 2008, funded by World Vision International in the amount of USD $72,000 USD. The project, which will run until mid-2011, focuses on strengthening the local community's capacity to prevent trafficking and support victims. While the range of projects is impressive, these organizations altogether are spending well less than USD $5 million annually in Vietnam. Most projects are small-scale and focused mainly on raising awareness of trafficking in at-risk communities, with some additional efforts to address "root causes" and protect returning victims of trafficking. Despite resource constraints, GVN participation and in-kind contributions are impressive. All of these projects have a GVN partner organization and draw heavily on donated staff from the VWU, MOLISA, and, in some cases, MPS. Local governments often cooperate with NGOs to provide support to returned trafficking victims in the form of vocational training, educational services, farmland or capital for micro-credit loans. The GVN's contribution to these projects is nearly always in-kind, in the form of office space, personnel, equipment and supplies, if available. Smaller domestic NGOs also provide support service, primarily in the form of support groups, information access, and basic vocational training. One domestic NGO in Hanoi provided a trafficking hotline and reported excellent cooperation with MPS and government social service organizations. In January 2009, the NGO suspended the hotline's operation due to lack of resources. The international community in general, and the NGO and international organization community in particular, are unanimous in a positive assessment of GVN cooperation. UN agencies with experience working with the GVN in several different sectors state that interaction on the issue of trafficking is the most productive and effective of all of their projects. Even law enforcement cooperation, an area where the GVN is known to be cautious, is a bright spot in the area of combating TIP. HANOI 00000179 006.2 OF 009 ¶6. (SBU) PREVENTION ¶A. Public Awareness Efforts In 2008, both the Youth Union and VWU continued significant nationwide anti-TIP public awareness campaigns, and surveys show that these awareness campaigns have had a positive impact. Under the Prime Minister's Decree 130, establishing the anti-TIP National Program of Action and National Steering Committee, the GVN assigned the role of anti-TIP information, education and communication primarily to the VWU and the Youth Union. Public awareness campaigns during the reporting period involved public information sessions, the development of numerous anti-TIP information products and advertising, radio and television campaigns and interventions at schools in high-risk zones. Anti-TIP activities are often included with other "anti-social evil programs" run by MOLISA's Department of Social Evils Prevention (DSEP). (Note: The GVN defines "social evils" as drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, prostitution and trafficking in persons. End Note.) For example, the GVN's official anti-prostitution program has been underway since 2001. This program includes TIP information and education campaigns and, according to DSEP, has as its audience victims and high-risk groups. The GVN reports that its anti-TIP campaigns and the anti-TIP components of other campaigns reach tens of millions of people altogether. In general, government-run anti-trafficking programs in Vietnam are designed to reach potential trafficking victims rather than address the demand for trafficking, which is consistent with Vietnam primary status as a source rather than a destination country for trafficking. Separate propaganda campaigns target consumers of prostitution. Cross-border information campaigns with China and Cambodia have grown and are believed to have an impact. MTV Asia, under the auspices of USAID, continued to broadcast public service announcements on government-run Vietnam Television's youth channel on the perils of TIP. In cooperation with its counterpart in South Korea, the VWU continued a program of pre-marriage counseling centers and hotlines in key source areas of Vietnam, including the Mekong Delta, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Haiphong, to alert women to the risk of trafficking when marrying a foreign national. MOLISA also worked closely with MPS on illegal labor recruitment, publicity campaigns, and illegal labor recruitment hotlines. Vietnam Television also occasionally addresses TIP in a popular television program about home economics, featuring returnees discussing their trafficking experiences and advising others on how to avoid being trafficked. While it is difficult to quantify increased in public awareness, anecdotal evidence suggests that the messages are having an impact. In Hue, for example, a provincial official stated that parents now contact the provincial level NSC representative when an adolescent goes missing, just in case they have been trafficked. Members of rural communities are increasingly aware of the risks of trafficking, although economic desperation often leads those in search of work to ignore the dangers. ¶B. GVN Monitoring of Immigration and Emigration Patterns Sophisticated monitoring of immigration and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking currently is beyond the GVN's technical and resource abilities. Representatives from the General Criminal Division of MPS point to the countless forest paths and rivers along Vietnam's 5,000 km of land borders where people cross the border unofficially. IOM and UNODC are two lead actors in Vietnam in terms of monitoring migratory patterns and TIP and establishing data. At regular border crossing points, immigration and border guard officers always check not only travel documents but also the purpose of every entry or exit to detect any suspect cases. Such entry-exit records are well-maintained. During the reporting period, the GVN, with support from international NGOs, continued to conduct several anti-TIP training programs for its Border Guard Command and supplied it with training materials. Senior Border Guard Commanders, though reporting an overall strengthening in its capacity and a raised skill level, stated that demand is not close to being met. The number of border guard officers trained is still small, and the Border Guard Command HANOI 00000179 007.2 OF 009 lamented that equipment, facilities and financial assistance for investigations are all lacking. In particular, there is a lack of training in remote areas and islands. In 2008, the GVN, working with IOM, UNICEF and others, continued to establish more TIP victim assistance and assessment centers at key border locations. Increased inter-governmental cooperation with China and Cambodia has also enhanced TIP interdiction at the borders. The GVN has established a formal regulation for anti-TIP cooperation between the MPS and the Border Guard Command and this relationship is very good. ¶C. Interagency Coordination and Communication As discussed earlier, the 2004 GVN National Program of Action (NPA) established a National Steering Committee (NSC) chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister. The Vice Chair is a senior official from MPS, the lead implementing agency. Other NSC members include representatives from the MFA, MOJ, MOLISA, Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the Vietnam Women's Union and Youth Union. Provincial-level Steering Committees, with compositions similar to the national level, have also been established under the NPA. These are led respectively by the Provincial People's Committee chairman. The NSC in Hanoi has the responsibility for coordinating all GVN interagency efforts. MPS is the lead agency within the NSC and acts as a focal point in cooperation with other relevant ministries, sectors, and international organizations. In addition, there is a Central Coordination Office and an Anti-Trafficking Task Force of 23 staff members from various member GVN agencies that operate under the umbrella of the NSC. The GVN's ability to operate in an interagency context remains limited, but has improved considerably under the NPA. Problems include antiquated communications technology and the lack of a strong tradition of GVN interagency cooperation. The MPS maintains a conservative police culture and remains reluctant to share information outside of the law enforcement establishment. NGO sources complained of interagency clashes between law enforcement, MOLISA and the Women and Youth Unions. The GVN generally works well with relevant international organizations on TIP, especially those connected to the UN such as UNODC, UNICEF, and ILO. MPS has played an active role in several UNICEF and UNODC trafficking projects, going so far as to assign one senior officer full time in the UNODC office as a national project coordinator. This has greatly improved UNODC's ability to work with MPS. Although its three year anti-TIP program came to an end in 2007, UNODC continued its work with MPS in the area of domestic violence prevention and sought donor support for follow on work on anti-TIP efforts. While the GVN has facilitated international NGOs working on TIP in Vietnam, we occasionally hear complaints from NGOs about obstacles at the local government levels, including the demanding of bribes or difficulty in obtaining permits to operate in certain districts. On the TIP issue, civil society representation came primarily from the VWU, a mass organization dedicated to women's issues in Vietnam, as well as the Youth Union, although a growing number of domestic NGOs also provided services and training. The VWU has branches and offices throughout the country down to the commune level and is effective at reaching women at all strata of society. Some NGOs questioned the VWU's professional capacity as TIP has only really become a top issue in Vietnam in the last few years. Relations between the VWU and other agencies on the subject of trafficking are adequate and improving. ¶D. National Plan of Action In July 2004, the Prime Minister's office published the Decision of the Government on the Approval of the National Program of Action against Trafficking in Women and Children from 2004-2010. The NPA addresses the major elements of prevention, prosecution and protection and identifies both the deficiencies in Vietnam's previous approach and the challenges and constraints facing the GVN as it wrestles with TIP. The NPA established the NSC and specific funding mechanisms for the 2004-2010 period. HANOI 00000179 008.2 OF 009 The GVN completed Phase I (2004-2006) of the NPA and in 2007 reviewed all Phase 1 programs and conducted a lessons learned exercise. The GVN then issued a new Prime Ministerial Directive, Directive 16, on "Strengthening the Implementation of the NPA for the Prevention of and Combat against Trafficking in Women and Children." This Directive called for greater inter-agency cooperation; increased responsibility and accountability for provincial government authorities; greater scrutiny and regulation of export labor, foreign adoptions and marriages; increased TIP prevention communications and educational awareness campaigns within communities. Further, the Directive instructed the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to submit a proposal to the National Assembly to draft a new comprehensive TIP law during Phase II of the NPA (2007-2010). The new law is expected to include men in the definition of human trafficking for the first time. According to the NSC, the draft law will be released for public comment in the first half of 2009. Including ratification, the entire process of establishing the new law is expected to take at least two to three years. MPS, MOJ, MOLISA, MFA, the Commission for Population, Family and Children (CPFC) (now part of the Ministry of Health),the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuracy and the Vietnam Women's and Youth Unions were all involved in the NPA's development. Outside of the Women's and Youth Unions, which are Party-affiliated "mass organizations," the GVN did not formally consult NGOs in the development of the NPA. Nevertheless, the GVN relies heavily on assistance from international organizations, such as the ILO, UNODC and UNICEF, as well as funding from foreign donors, to implement its NPA. The GVN has also shown a willingness to take in other points of view in the NPA's implementation, including advice from foreign governments. International NGOs and victim advocate organizations have been consulted during the process of drafting of the new TIP law. During the reporting period, the GVN requested U.S. technical assistance in drafting the new TIP law and in improving its legal framework on trafficking. The GVN publicly distributed NPA information through the GVN's regular channels for the publication of official documents, assisted by the NGO community. ¶E. GVN Efforts to Reduce Demand for Commercial Sex This is an area where the GVN recognizes it could do more work. Vietnamese culture and society traditionally expect women to remain faithful and chaste, to hold the family together, while the procurement of commercial sex by men is largely accepted. However, Vietnamese society is changing and there is a growing effort to address and improve the status of women in Vietnam. To date, these efforts have only tangentially touched on the issue of commercial sex procurement. As mentioned previously, the GVN has an extensive campaign to stigmatize social evils, including prostitution, and has criminalized the legal status of pimps and brothel owners, with limited success (see section 4.K). International child sex tourism is definitely a growing concern as foreign tourism to Vietnam continued to increase significantly since 2004 (see section 4.M). ¶F. Steps to Reduce Participation in International Sex Tourism Vietnamese nationals are not believed to be among the tourists traveling abroad to participate in child sex tourism (see section 4.M for details). ¶G. GVN Efforts to Reduce Peacekeeping Troops' Participation in TIP Post response is not required. See section 4.L for more information ¶7. (U) TIME SPENT ON REPORT: FSN 10: 18 hours FS-04: 3 hours FS-03: 90 hours HANOI 00000179 009.2 OF 009 FP-05: 2 hours FS-02: 7 hours FS-01: 2 hours FE-OC: 3 hours ¶8. (U) POST TIP POINT OF CONTACT: Jane Bocklage Political Officer United States Embassy Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: (84) (04) 850-5081 Fax: (84) (04) 850-5098 E-Mail: BocklageJE@state.gov MICHALAK