TRADE UNIONS AGAINST TRAFFICKING How a trade union in Viet Nam is protecting young migrants from exploitation and trafficking

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VIET NAM Proven Practices for Human Trafficking Prevention in the Greater Mekong Sub-region Subregion TRADE UNIONS AGAINST TRAFFICKING How a trade union in Viet Nam is protecting young migrants from

1 VIET NAM Proven Practices for Human Trafficking Prevention in the Greater Mekong Sub-region Subregion TRADE UNIONS AGAINST TRAFFICKING How a trade union in Viet Nam is protecting young migrants from exploitation and trafficking THE PROVEN PRACTICE: Sensitizing trade union members to recognize the role they can play in protecting young people by including trafficking awareness in their mandate and encouraging workers to support each other and to spread the awareness. Involving trade unions in trafficking prevention in Viet Nam International Labour Organization THE INITIAL CHALLENGE: After shifting its Mekong Sub-regional Project to Combat Trafficking in Children and Women (ILO-TICW) to a labour policy perspective, the International Labour Organization wanted to include activities that targeted destination areas for migrants in many sectors. The project s first phase in Viet Nam had concentrated on sending areas and young women trafficked across borders for sexual exploitation. But with one in three current inhabitants, or about 2 million people, of Ho Chi Minh City alone having arrived from elsewhere in the country, educating them on their rights and alerting them to dangers seemed a compelling need. N North Hanoi China For the second phase, the ILO-TICW project staff wanted to maximize ILO s comparative advantage of partnership with workers organizations and involve them in the anti-trafficking work. THE RESPONSE: Map courtesy of UNIAP Thailand Lao PDR Cambodia South Central Ho Chi Minh City The ILO-TICW Project Advisory Committee in Viet Nam expanded its membership for the second phase to include the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL). In response to that participation, the VGCL developed a two-pronged strategy for a proactive role: They

2 Meeting the Cha Harry Marmot VIET NAM sensitized members on trafficking issues by training peer educators. Then they took on protection activities, such as handing out a guidebook for migrant workers on how to stay safe from exploitation and trafficking and where to get help if needed, and talking with migrant workers about these issues through the union s existing service channels (such as its loan fund for poor workers and its counselling rooms). In addition, union members embarked on innovative outreach work in the communities where migrants live. Before this project, said Mai Thi Bich Van, head of the VGCL s Department for Female Workers in Ho Chi Minh City, she and other members of her unit never perceived female workers as at risk of being trafficked. We thought trafficking prevention was not our business, she said. But after attending one of the TICW workshops targeting trade unions, we realized that any one could be at risk, particularly young migrant workers. With support from the ILO-TICW project, we integrated communication on trafficking into our regular social work and mobilized staff of the trade unions to spread messages on trafficking prevention.

Challenge e Meeting the Challe THE PROCESS: The ILO-TICW project first conducted a variety of sensitizing workshops with central and provincial officials from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and

3 Challenge e Meeting the Challe THE PROCESS: The ILO-TICW project first conducted a variety of sensitizing workshops with central and provincial officials from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and related agencies to make them aware that the large numbers of migrant workers in Viet Nam s urban centres are just as vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, including the snare of human traffickers, as those who seek to go abroad. These workshops provided training on how to better confront labour exploitation, develop advocacy and safe migration awareness campaigns, monitor projects and mainstream good practices from the ILO-TICW project into other national programmes. This worked well and by the second phase in 2005 the Government had asked that ILO-TICW projects concentrate on helping protect migrant workers in Ho Chi Minh City and several industrial processing zones. Because of its existing relationship with trade unions as part of the ILO tripartite structure, the ILO-TICW project turned to the VGCL to include trafficking prevention within its labour protection mandate. With representation or help centres in many factories that offer legal counselling and referral services, the VGCL is in an excellent position to reach migrants at risk of being trafficked. The VGCL has a total membership of nearly 6 million members organized in 64 provincial Confederations of Labour and 20 sector trade union branches. About 53 percent of members are female. VGCL became one of the first trade unions in the Mekong sub-region to include trafficking prevention in its agenda and offer workers legal assistance on protecting their rights and interests, including representing women in severe cases of trafficking-related exploitation. The VGCL, through its Department for Female Workers, organized a one-day planning workshop, Trade Unions and Combating Trafficking, in 2006 in Hanoi to inform leaders of the Confederations of Labour in provinces with a large exodus of migrants and of relevant sector trade unions (50 participants) about the TICW project s strategies, target groups and key issues of human trafficking. Trainers from the project management unit within MOLISA and TICW staff conducted the workshop. Loupiote

Meeting the Cha Based on the recommendations from that workshop, the Department for Female Workers officers consulted with staff from the TICW project and from MOLISA and ultimately proposed to: l

4 Meeting the Cha Based on the recommendations from that workshop, the Department for Female Workers officers consulted with staff from the TICW project and from MOLISA and ultimately proposed to: l Sensitize the leaders of the district Confederations of Labour and selected trade unions in Ho Chi Minh City on the project strategy and the role of trade unions in prevention the trafficking of women and children: develop a good understanding of the work and living conditions of female migrant workers in the industrial zones of Ho Chi Minh City, identify women s risks to human trafficking resulting from their migration status, and help trade unions in special economic zones to integrate trafficking prevention practices into regular day-to-day operations. l Reach out to approximately 3,000 young female migrant workers in the industrial zones and provide them with updated information on Vietnamese laws to protect internal migrants and on services available to migrant women. The project also aimed at providing legal assistance and social services to identified cases of exploitation and trafficking. Three two-day workshops were organized for a total of 170 staff from relevant trade unions for training to become trainers, or outreach agents, on trafficking issues, workers rights, gender issues and the provision of trafficking-related services, such as information, job placement, legal counselling, for young migrant workers. Because the VGCL does not have many help centres in factories in the special industrial zones, the Department for Female Workers then developed proactive and innovative ways to reach young migrants, such as organizing Shikoh VIET NAM

Challenge e Meeting the Challe education sessions at or near their boarding houses/residences outside of the industrial zones and through arrangements with amiable employers.

5 Challenge e Meeting the Challe education sessions at or near their boarding houses/residences outside of the industrial zones and through arrangements with amiable employers. These sessions actually were designed to operate more as ongoing selfhelp groups of migrant workers, through which social activities have been organized, such as cultural festivals and informational role playing. Along with trafficking and labour exploitation awareness, the trade union outreach workers discuss labour laws, social protection services, HIV prevention, reproductive health issues and other relevant concerns. Julian Wainwright Ultimately, the VGCL aims to develop pioneering approaches to access difficult-to-reach migrant women with their awareness raising and, where possible, organize them into self-help groups for emotional and other support. The VGCL has also been collaborating with other agencies, such as the Viet Nam Women s Union and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, to develop information and education models for raising awareness. One of the main tools is the Travel Smart Work Smart: A smart guide for migrant workers, which provides tailor-made information for young individuals migrating for employment within Viet Nam. The handbook provides useful information on workers rights, decent wages, trafficking and labour exploitation issues, advice on selecting jobs in the city for would-be migrants and where to seek help if needed. The migrant workers have been encouraged to keep talking about issues discussed in the self-help groups and in the handbook with newly arrived migrants and women in their home villages considering migrating for employment. In cases where migrant women have special needs, the trade unions directly provide needed legal counselling for free or refer women to a network developed by the Subdepartment of Social Evils Prevention (within the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs) for vocational training, job placement and other assistance.

6 Meeting the Cha ONGOING CHALLENGES: VIET NAM Involving trade unions, such as the VGCL, in the prevention of human trafficking is a new concept in Viet Nam; members as well as government officials are still learning how best to maximize the potential. Thus, developing the programme was a slow process. Other challenges stem from the Government s hesitation in giving the VGCL a role in the National Plan of Action Against Trafficking. The human-resource capacity of the VGCL in carrying out activities has been limited, especially where workplaces do not have union representation, and particularly among companies run by foreign investors. According to Ms. Mai, to reach migrant workers in industrial zones has been very difficult because many employers do not want staff of trade unions to educate workers on the labour laws. OUTCOMES: 50 leaders of the VGCL and relevant sector trade unions have received awareness training. 170 staff of selected trade unions in Ho Chi Minh City have been trained as trainers. The VGCL has reached some 2,350 female migrants with information and services through 34 education sessions ; about 6,000 Travel Smart Work Smart guidebooks and 6,000 leaflets on trafficking have been distributed to young migrants. The Department for Female Workers in Ho Chi Minh City has integrated trafficking prevention into its regular outreach work and encourages members to continue the education sessions with migrant workers. Referring to the Travel Smart Work Smart guidebook, a 19-year-old female migrant named Thi who had been working only for a month in a garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City commented, It s useful, depending on the girl s situation, but it shows ways to find work, to work hard and safely in order to earn more money. Added Nguyen Thi Lam, a 24-year-old migrant worker in Ho Chi Minh City, Through the session and the book I have learned a lot of very useful information. It s not only useful to us but to other people around us.

e Challenge Meeting the Challe ge LESSONS LEARNED: l l Just as peer educators are the most effective in passing on vital messages to particular groups of people, workers organizations offer a large

7 e Challenge Meeting the Challe ge LESSONS LEARNED: l l Just as peer educators are the most effective in passing on vital messages to particular groups of people, workers organizations offer a large potential for reaching migrants, particularly those in distress. Migrants are more likely to feel safe turning to fellow workers for help or protection. Workers organizations also are best situated to know, or identify, the situation of migrants and where to find them. As a kind of frontline agent, workers organizations need to have good links with other relevant agencies, organizations and government departments to make referral services that can help migrant workers in a difficult situation. Certainly a workers organization cannot meet all migrant workers needs; formalized links to those who specialize in key services is paramount for support and for protection. The involvement of a trade union has been a crucial front-line component of the prevention strategy. Migration into Ho Chi Minh City area has been increasing and so the dangers, including trafficking, have become a hot topic, said Ms. Mai. It s very important for migrants arriving here to know how to protect themselves. By having these [education sessions], we can explain the contents of the Travel Smart Work Smart guide, and we can also encourage the young women to relay this information to other migrants and even family members back home on ways to stay safe if they also migrate. Adam Lane

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PACKAGING PREVENTION AND PROTECTION How a comprehensive programme mitigates vulnerabilities to trafficking at source and destination points

Proven Practices for Human Trafficking Prevention in the Greater Mekong Sub-region Subregion PACKAGING PREVENTION AND PROTECTION How a comprehensive programme mitigates vulnerabilities to trafficking at