RIPPLES IN THE WATER. External Evaluation of the Research and Action (RA) project on Traffic in Women in the Mekong Region (Cambodia and Vietnam) 1997-2000 Nelleke van der Vleuten Siriporn Skrobanek January 2002
Research and Action (RA) project on Traffic in Women in the Mekong Region (Cambodia and Vietnam) 1997 2000 Implementing Agencies Cambodia Women s Development Agency, (CWDA) Phnom Penh Youth Research Institute (YRI), Hanoi Vietnam Women s Union (VWU), Ho Chi Minh City & Tay Ninh Province Facilitation and co-ordination Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) Funding agency Royal Netherlands Embassy Hanoi Period Evaluation: 7 November 14 December 2001 Report completed: January 2002 Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) P.O. Box 36 Bangkok Noi Post Office, Bangkok 10700 Thailand Tel: (66)(2) 8641427/8 Fax: (66)(2) 8641637 Email: gaatw@mozart.inet.co.th Web Site: http://www.inet.co.th/org/gaatw ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
W e would like to thank GAATW, especially Jan, Bandana and Mami and all the support staff in the Bangkok office, the three Implementing Agencies and the local women s groups for their full co-operation and participation in this review. They accompanied us during the visits, spent time with us in meetings, made all kinds of the arrangements, shared documents and were patient and open to respond to our (for them sometimes) naive requests for information and critical detailed questions. We hope and trust that the whole review process has been a positive learning experience for all of them and that GAATW and the IAs feel we have done justice to their work. The same words of thanks are for all the translators: Mr. Souneak Yean Mak, Ms. Doan Tam Dan and Ms. Dang Hoang Anti Thu, and the other persons and organisations who were willing to give some of their valuable time to us. We look back at a very enriching period, in which we as an outside insider (Siriporn) and an inside outsider (Nelleke) have been able to take stock of a project of which we were directly or indirectly godmothers. Last but not least, we thank the Royal Netherlands Embassy for the confidence and task entrusted to us to conduct this review. We hope they are satisfied with the result. Nelleke van der Vleuten & Siriporn Skrobanek Nijmegen, The Netherlands / Bangkok, Thailand January 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
List of Abbreviations Executive Summary 1 1 INTRODUCTION THE RA-PROJECT AND THE EVALUATION 7 Start of the RA-project 7 A changing scenario 8 The evaluation 9 Purpose and methodology Focus and limitations of the evaluation Structure of the report 12 2 ORGANISATION, IMPLEMENATION AND F-PAR METHODOLOGY 13 2.1 Organisation of the RA-project 13 2.1.1 Mandate and implementation by the IAs 13 Mandate Cambodia CWDA Vietnam YRI and VWU Implementation of the project 14 Human resources Financial resources 2.1.2 Role of GAATW 16 Institutional Content 2.2 Application of the F-PAR methodology 19 2.3 The RA as a regional project 23 2.4 Conclusions and recommendations 23 3 PHASE I: RESEARCH AND POLICY 27 3.1 CAMBODIA 27 Research 27 Raise public & political awareness 28 Review & influencing of national policies & laws 28 Conclusions & Recommendations 29 3.2 NORTH VIETNAM 30 Research 30 Dissemination of the research findings and impact on policy changes 31 The special studies 32 Conclusions & Recommendations 32
3.3 SOUTH VIETNAM 33 Information gathering 33 Improvement of government measures to combat TiW 33 Conclusions & Recommendations 33 3.4 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 34 4 PHASE II - LOCAL ACTIONS FOR PREVENTION OF TRAFFICKING 37 AND SUPPORT OF WOMEN 4.1 CAMBODIA 37 Strengthen local women s initiatives in addressing problems related to TiW 37 Influencing migration? Sustaining the activities Support to women trafficked into prostitution 40 Information, education and communication material 42 Conclusions & Recommendations 43 4.2 NORTH VIETNAM 45 Develop support services for the victims and potential victims of trafficking 45 Formation of Women s Groups (WGs) Transformation of and assistance from the local authority The solidarity trip Sustainability of the group and replication of the model Contribution to the prevention of TiW Development of information, education and communication materials 49 Conclusions & Recommendations 50 4.3 SOUTH VIETNAM 51 Assistance to women returnees & expansion of the model for self-management of women s groups 52 Information sharing and advocacy work 53 Communication for prevention of TiW - through peer educators 54 Information and communication on marriages to Taiwan 54 Hotline 55 Conclusions & Recommendations 55 4.4 REFLECTIONS ON APPROACHES FOR PREVENTION & SUPPORT 57 Individual welfare approach 57 Community-based approach 58 The advocacy and collective-rights approach 58 Conclusions and recommendations 59
5 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 61 Overall results, effects and impact 61 Contributions to policy change Towards better prevention and support The F-PAR methodology Replicability of the RA-project 67 Regional dimensions Duration and structure The models 68 Recommendations 68 ANNEXES 71 Terms of reference 71 Time frame review 76 List of background information RA-project 78 Table & timeframe of activities RA-project 79 Presentations YRI and VWU for external meeting, 14 December 2001 83
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Caram Co-ordination for Action Research on Mobility and Aids CPU Cambodia Prostitutes Union CWDA Cambodia Women s Development Agency FA Facilitating Agency (GAATW) FFW Foundation For Women (Thailand) F-PAR Feminist Participatory Action Research GAATW Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women GO Governmental Organisation H/A HIV/AIDS (awareness) HCMC Ho Chi Minh City HR Human Rights IAs Implementing Agency/ies (CWDA, YRI, VWU-HCMC and VWU-TN) IEC Information, Education and Communication material IOM International Organisation for Migration MOLISA Ministry for Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Vietnam) (M)WVA Ministry for Women s and Veteran Affairs (in Cambodia) (I)NGO (International) Non Governmental Organisation NFE Non Formal Education PP Phnom Penh RA-project Research and Action Project on Traffic in Women in the Mekong region (1997-2000) RATW Research and Action Project on Traffic in Women in Thailand (1992-1995) RNE Royal Netherlands Embassy TiW Traffic in women TN Tay Ninh Province (South Vietnam) (V)WU (Vietnam) Women s Union VWU-HCMC Vietnam Women s Union, Ho Chi Minh City (South Vietnam) VWU- TN Vietnam Women s Union, Tay Ninh Province (South Vietnam) YRI Youth Research Institute (Hanoi, North Vietnam)