Vietnamese Border Guards' role in Combating Human

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000068 SIPDIS STATE FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, EAP/MLS, AND EAP/RSP USAID FOR EGAT/WID, KBLAKESLEE, ASIA/ME/IR, LSAULS AND ASIA/EAA, DKHY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KTIP KCRM PHUM PREL ELAB VM SUBJECT: Vietnamese Border Guards' role in Combating Human Trafficking REF: 09 HANOI 1436 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In a January 7 meeting, the Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Defense's Border Guards Division, Bui Quang An, stated criminal activity, including human trafficking, was on the rise. The northern border provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai and An Giang registered the largest number of TIP victim returnees. The Border Guards are implementing a new initiative to track cases of suspected trafficking, to date, 205 cases have been turned over to Ministry of Public Security (MPS) for investigation and prosecution. Bui Quang An said, the Border Guards, who work closely with domestic and international counterparts, and would welcome U.S. assistance to expand TIP shelters. An earlier TIP-focused trip to Lang Son and Cao Bang provided an opportunity to discuss anti-TIP efforts on the ground with the Border Guards and their government counterparts, as well as an opportunity to visit local TIP shelters. Officials are increasingly eager to discuss TIP and quite proud of their outreach and educational efforts, increased coordination with counterparts across the border, and measures to assist victims. Vietnam's efforts to address labor trafficking and trafficking involving men continue to lag. However, this reflects both the actual scale of the problem (which by all accounts is less severe than trafficking for sexual exploitation) and the fact that definitional shifts pushed this year at the national level have yet to register throughout the government. End Summary. The Overall Picture -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On January 7, Poloff met Bui Quang An, Deputy Chief of the MOD's Border Guards Division to discuss the Border Guards' anti-human trafficking efforts. An, together with several colleagues, explained that Vietnam's 4,610-kilometer borders with China, Laos, and Cambodia consist of rough, often mountainous terrain that is porous and difficult to monitor. The Border Guards efforts to combat crime, including trafficking, are compounded by the fact that villages located along the border share long-lasting ties with another. Vietnam currently has 141 border posts, of which 42 are major international border gates with significant amounts of travel and trade, but there are an even great number of informal, unmanned crossings. Additionally, An stated that economic growth and increased trade have spurred a rise in cross-border criminal activity, including human trafficking. According to the Border Guards, the provinces of Lang Son, Lao Cai and An Giang received the largest number of TIP victim returnees in ¶2009. Along the Laos border, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri received the most returnees, while An Giang, Kien Giang, Tay Ninh, and Lang An were the provinces along the Cambodian border with the most TIP return cases. ¶3. (SBU) Bui Quang An reported that most Vietnamese trafficking rings originate further inland away from border areas and that the majority of trafficking victims continue to be from rural areas. Most TIP cases across the Chinese border involve women trafficked for prostitution or forced marriage, and children who have been kidnapped to be adopted into a family; there are also cases of Vietnamese children being trafficked across the Chinese border for labor, An said. Most women and children trafficked to Laos are victims of sex trafficking. An stressed that while hard data is scarce, he and the Border Guards suspected that the number of trafficking cases was probably increasing, with a particular increase in the number of cases involving children kidnapped to China. (Note: Vietnam defines child selling to be a form of trafficking. The annual TIP report does not, because the practice does not necessarily involve sexual exploitation or forced labor. End note.) The Border Guards' Role in fighting TIP -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In 2009, the Border Guards established a special task force on human trafficking and expanded efforts to monitor and track suspected cases. This year, the unit identified 205 cases of suspected trafficking, which were turned over to MPS for investigation and prosecution. 154 women and children were "rescued" by the Border Guards, while there were 131 returnee cases from neighboring governments, An said. (Note: The 131 cases do not indicate the actual number of individuals returned, as An said that each individual case might have more than returnee. End note.) According to a May 2008 GVN Inter-ministerial Circular, the Border Guards receive both self-return and government-return cases. Victims returned by the government are referred directly to MOLISA for shelter assistance, job assistance and travel to home provinces. In self-return cases, the Border Guards coordinate with MPS to receive and interview the victim, and to determine whether the returnee is a victim of trafficking at which point the case is HANOI 00000068 002 OF 003 referred to MOLISA. Border Guards interviews are typically conducted by male officers as there are no female officers serving at border posts. At a few posts, female staff have been "borrowed" from other government agencies to help facilitate the interviews of victims. Currently, Lang Son, Lao Cai and An Giang are the only provinces with dedicated TIP shelters run by the government. Victims can be referred to these shelters for short term stays, but the majority are sent to their home provinces. The Border Guards indicated they would like to expand the number of shelters available for TIP victims, but funding constraints limit their ability to do so. Looking back on 2009 and forward to 2010 -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Border Guards were active in 2009 according to An. Based on training from the National Standing Committee-130 (Vietnam's standing committee on TIP),Border Guards trainers conducted follow-on training sessions for staff at several border posts this year. As part of their outreach efforts, the Border Guards worked with local leaders in border areas to discuss ways to coordinate local prevention efforts with Border Guards' activities. The Border Guards conducted public awareness campaigns on the dangers of trafficking, including hosting public gatherings in border villages. The Border Guards also meet regularly with counterparts in neighboring countries to discuss TIP issues. (At the national level, counterparts meet annually; at the provincial level, every six months; while border checkpoint officials meet with their counterparts quarterly or even monthly.) An indicated that the provincial and local border checkpoint meetings are the most effective as discussions are based on the day-to-day operations of both sides and "real" results were obtained from them. ¶6. (SBU) Looking ahead, An said that the Border Guards would focus on strengthening their ability to conduct surveillance and arrest suspected traffickers. They already have conducted two such training courses. In 2010, the Border Guards also intend to continue to raise awareness of trafficking at border areas through outreach efforts in border communities, improve coordination with counterparts in neighboring countries, and build additional TIP shelters located at border "hot spots." Situation on the Ground in Lang Son -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The account given by An tracks with impressions from a December TIP-focused trip by Deputy PolChief to the northern border provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang. Border Guards officials, along with representatives from MOLISA and the Women's Union, were eager to discuss efforts to combat trafficking and confirmed that of the two provinces, Lang Son sees more cases. Coordination with the national-level Task Force 130 is very close, as is cooperation cross-border with counterparts on the Chinese side. Officials in both provinces contended that trafficking was overwhelmingly an issue of sexual exploitation not labor, though they also included child selling in their discussions. Officials discussed efforts, led by the Women's union but coordinated with MPS and the Border Guards, to send teams to villages and communes to discuss the dangers of trafficking; they said that there were no problems reaching remote areas populated by ethnic minority groups, adding that the teams typically included people who were also members of that group and could speak the local language. MOLISA confirmed that they work closely with the Border Guards in processing victims after they are identified and returned. The Cao Bang MOLISA representative went to some length to discuss how TIP victims are offered vocational training in agriculture, animal husbandry, and household economics. ¶8. (SBU) Deputy PolChief also visited the TIP intake center/shelter in Lang Son, located on the Border Guards' compound near the border. The request was made the day of the visit, without advance notice, but the local officials were keen to show off the facility. There were currently no victims housed at the center, but the facility appeared clean and orderly, if rudimentary in keeping with the general economic conditions of the area. (Lang Son and Cao Bang rank near the bottom of the Vietnam's Provincial Competitiveness Index.) Near the shelter was a display featuring photos of arrested smugglers, including several -- all women -- arraigned for human trafficking. The Cao Bang facility was located in the Provincial capital and also functions as an orphanage and retirement home, though it also provides shelter, medical assistance, and counseling to TIP victims as needed. There were currently no TIP victims at the facility, and the director said that they typically receive fewer than ten a year; those that do come to the facility usually stay for around three months. Echoing comments by An, officials in both provinces reported that the HANOI 00000068 003 OF 003 majority of TIP victims are from other provinces, and they usually want to go home as soon as they can. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Post's discussion with the Border Guards' Bui Quang An was positive and open and tracks with the tenor of conversations in Lang Son and Cao Bang. Officials in all three locations were willing to "go off script" and provide their candid perspectives on the trafficking situation in Vietnam. All were quite proud to relate their educational outreach and prevention efforts, improvements in cross-border coordination, and victim assistance programs. Questions related to male and labor trafficking were met with a certain amount of puzzlement, an indication both that it is a less severe problem overall and that the Border Guards' attention remains focused on women and children and cases of sex trafficking. As reported previously (reftel 09 Hanoi 1436),national-level TIP authorities appear to be making a conscious effort to address labor trafficking and trafficking that involves male victims, but our discussions here suggests that the definitional shift has not registered throughout the GVN. Victim services continue to be an area of weakness, though the Border Guards' interest in increasing the number of temporary TIP shelters to ensure that victims receive professional counseling and medical services is a welcome development and worth exploring further. Funding, both domestic and international, remains a significant challenge; however, as our trip to Lang Son and Cao Bang demonstrate, a little can go a long way. Michalak