Ho Chi Minh City is currently a place that attracts a large number of people from other provinces and cities to live, study, work and start a business. With the characteristics of a large trading unit, owning many bus stations, wharves, and Tan Son Nhat international airport, Ho Chi Minh City has become a potential hot spot for human trafficking crimes in many forms of disguise.
Statistics from authorities show that in just the first 9 months of 2024, Ho Chi Minh City has received and verified 56 cases of victims of trafficking. In particular, the police force has broken up 2 cases of human trafficking under 16 years old in the country, arrested 16 subjects, rescued 52 victims; at the same time, broken up 1 case of human trafficking abroad, arrested 3 subjects, rescued 1 victim returned by Cambodia.
In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs has also received and handled 114 cases of citizen protection, including 95 petitions for support for relatives, suspected victims of human trafficking who are facing difficulties abroad such as missing, being detained, being abused, or losing contact.
Notably, there were 32 cases (accounting for 22%) of citizens residing in Ho Chi Minh City, mostly men, who were scammed and taken to Cambodia, China to work for forced labor.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, from 2021 to now, the health sector has recorded 7 cases of victims being bought and sold back, including 2 children. More worryingly, many criminal networks are taking advantage of social networks such as Facebook, Zalo, WeChat... to approach and lure victims under the tricks of "easy work, high salary", "legally labor export", "foreign marriages", or "adoption".
The targeted subjects are mainly women, minors, illegal workers, people in difficult circumstances and lacking legal knowledge. Many victims do not realize that they have been scammed or dare not report because of inferiority complex, fear of revenge, or being forced to sign complicated contracts.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health added that in the past time, the entire industry has coordinated to organize more than 52 communication sessions, issue hundreds of thousands of warning documents, and at the same time incorporated content on preventing human trafficking in the poverty reduction program, protecting children and supporting migrants.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health warned that human trafficking crimes are becoming more and more complicated, no longer limited to women and children but extending to young men, especially groups using uncontrolled social networks.
People need to be vigilant against attractive job offers, easy going abroad, quick marriage or unclear brokerage organizations.
When you suspect signs of human trafficking, call Call Center 111 or Vietnam Citizen Protection Center +84981848484 for timely support.
