The project is funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States Department of State.
In that context, the Vietnam Border Guard plays an instrumental role in the fight against trafficking in persons (TIP) and the provision of protection and support for trafficking victims. Overseeing 5,036 km of land borders and 3,260 km of coastline, the Border Guard is at the forefront of cross-border crime prevention and control. They are very often the first, and sometimes only, law enforcement officers with whom a trafficking victim may ever come into contact.
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| Delegates at the event |
The project aims to enhance the technical capacity of Vietnam Border Guard, especially frontline officers in hotspot border areas, to better detect, investigate and handle TIP cases and identify, protect and assist trafficking victims, particularly when the crime has evolved to online space.
Within its framework, the project will introduce a new training curriculum on counter-trafficking and victim protection for frontline officers. This curriculum, updated with the latest laws, criminal trends and specific case files, will be distributed to Border Guard stations in target provinces. It will be used to conduct 16 training workshops for over 600 frontline counter-crime and immigration control Border Guard officers across Vietnam.
As part of this initiative, the project will create more opportunities to foster cross-border collaboration between the Viet Nam Border Guard and their counterparts in the region. This new platform will enable them to exchange effective methods, professional skills and practical experiences that have been successfully applied in investigating and prosecuting cross-border crime.
Additionally, the project also emphasizes training frontline officers in communication skills to effectively conduct community engagement activities. These activities aim to promote safe migration and reduce irregular migration among vulnerable communities in border areas.
“IOM is very proud to continue to cooperate with the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention of the Viet Nam Border Guard to contribute to enhancing the capacities of Viet Nam Border Guard officers, who are at the frontline to receive, protect and identify returning trafficking victims. Facilitating safe and orderly cross-border human mobility for migrants while maintaining border security and supporting border guards' engagement is one of the critical components in IOM' mandate,” IOM's Chief of Mission, Ms Park Mi-Hyung, stated.
Mr. Ryan McKean, Director of INL Viet Nam, said: “The U.S. commends Viet Nam on its upgrade to Tier 2 in the annual U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. We are proud to partner with IOM and the Vietnam Border Guard on this new project to further enhance the screening and identification of TIP victims at border and sea gates. Capable frontline officers are essential to the fight against trafficking in persons and this project supports VBG officers with training and equipment to do this critical task.”
Senior Colonel Vu Xuan Dai, Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Vietnam Border Guard Command (DDCCP, VBG), affirmed: “International cooperation in preventing and combating organized and transnational crime in general, and trafficking in persons in particular, is extremely necessary. DDCCP has effectively implemented this task in the last few years. In adherence to the Ministry of National Defense’s directive and the Border Guard High Command, the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention will proactively implement approved cooperation activities, aiming to improve the effectiveness of our collective effort to prevent and combat human trafficking crimes in the coming time.”/.