09-10 may 2018, more than 30 provincial officials including social workers, police and border guards from the border provinces of Lao Cai, Lang Son, Quang Ninh and Ha Giang had their expertise on anti-human trafficking significantly enhanced after the training workshop co-organised by IOM and Lao Cai provincial sub-department of Social Vice Prevention in Sapa, Lao Cai from 09th to 10th May.

The workshop spotlighted two key dimensions of anti-human trafficking including identification and protection of the victims of trafficking (VoTs) with the victim-centered approach. Given the guide of the experienced specialists in countering human trafficking, the participants were reminded of the domestic legislation and familiarised with international standards on victim identification and assistance. They also had chance to speak of the discrete difficulties in their provinces for a discussion about the utility of the shared knowledges in their localities. The comparison of the tests before and after the event indicated that, from the training, more than 90% of the trainees captured the definition of VoTs on the platform of the Palermo Protocol, relevant legal documents, basic rights of victims during the victim identification and protection process. The officials have also been aware of more sources of information for victim identification as well as sensitized to victim’s right- based approach. They have also discussed a number of recent trafficking cases from their provinces and exchanged practical experiences in dealing with them.

The Northern border provinces see hundreds of people, especially children and women from several areas across the country, trafficked abroad every year, becoming the hotspots of the scourge over the past few years. Although the anti-human trafficking efforts in these provinces have demonstrated much progress recently, the crime has proved to be proportionally critical and complicated.

The training workshop falls under the framework of the project “ASEAN-MPACT: Migrant Protection, Assistance, Capacity and Tolerance” undertaken by IOM and funded by the Population, Refugees, and Migration Bureau of the U.S. Department of State (PRM).