Tackling Modern Slavery in Vietnam Project

ABOUT TMSV PROJECT

Tackling Modern Slavery in Vietnam (TMSV) Project was implemented in contribution to Vietnam’s Human Trafficking Prevention and Fighting Program in 2016 – 2020 period (Program 130/CP) and the Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnamese Government and United Kingdom Government on cooperation in the prevention and combat of human trafficking, signed on November 28, 2018 in London.

This project is supported and funded by the UK Home Office and implemented by a consortium composed of International Organization of Migration (IOM), British Council (BC) and World Vision, in which IOM is the consortium lead.

The project started in early 2019 with the goal to end modern slavery in Vietnam through changing behavior, increasing prosecution and supporting rehabilitation and reintegration of potential and actual victims of human trafficking. The Project is expected to achieve the following three broad impact areas:

Preventing vulnerable populations from becoming victims
Strengthening the judicial response to human trafficking
Supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking

The British Council leads on Impact Area 2 of TMSV project - Strengthening the judicial response to human trafficking, which corresponds to Project 2 “Human trafficking prevention and fighting” and Project 4 “Completing legislation and overseeing implementation of policies and laws on human trafficking prevention and fighting” of Program 130/CP.

OUR AIMS

Through the TMSV project – Impact Area 2, British Council, in partnership with Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and local community actors, aim to deliver the following outcomes:

Vulnerable populations at the grassroots level have increased understanding of the criminal justice system and processes in human trafficking cases
Investigators, judges, prosecutors and lawyers trained in adjudicating and prosecuting trafficking cases including identification of trafficking indicators/cases, victim and witness sensitivity/interviewing techniques, evidence collection and case management, effective implementation of amended legislation and international best practice.
Strengthened coordination among justice sector agencies in pilot provinces through support to improving the national database on trafficking under Vietnam’s Human Trafficking Prevention and Fighting Program in 2016 – 2020 period

The project will be implemented in 5 provinces of Viet Nam: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.

Output 1: Vulnerable populations access to criminal justice system and processes in human trafficking cases

Vulnerable populations will be empowered against trafficking by strengthening local justice and social support services; by supporting the establishment of a national referral mechanism; and through innovative community-led forum theatre in target provinces.

The project will undertake two studies on human trafficking in Vietnam. One study will focus on existing criminal justice-related assistance for victims of trafficking at the national, provincial and commune levels. The second study will be a feasibility report on the establishment of a national referral mechanism for victims of trafficking. Both studies will be validated at workshops at national and local levels.

A series of innovative community-led forum theatre performances, customized to the needs and context of each target province, will ensure vulnerable groups understand the criminal justice system and available services as it relates to human trafficking. The Forum Theatre approach seeks to reach more than 8,000 Potential Victims of Trafficking and Victims of Trafficking.

Output 2: Capacity building for investigators, judges, prosecutors and lawyers in adjudicating and prosecuting human trafficking cases

A priority is to assess and identify barriers to prosecution and sentencing in trafficking offences and a Barrier Analysis will therefore inform the formulation of a prosecution and sentencing strategy with special emphasis on forced labour trafficking. The Barrier Analysis will also underpin project support for the completion of the national legal framework on human trafficking which will be achieved through policy dialogues that focus on amending regulations following the Penal Code revision, and revising the Law on Trafficking.

A Prosecution and Sentencing Strategy will also underpin the elaboration of capacity building/training modules for prosecutors, judges, and lawyers. Modules may include victim identification, victim-sensitive interviewing techniques, evidence collection, case management and referrals. Delivery will take place in the 5 target provinces, aiming to reach more than 500 officials.

Output 3: Strengthened coordination among justice sector agencies for tackling human trafficking cases

The project will align its support to the National Program for the Prevention and Fighting of Human Trafficking - 2016-2020 and a vehicle of cooperation will be the national database on trafficking and the related need for improved data collection across the justice sector.

The first objective is to strengthen coordination between government agencies responsible for anti-trafficking. A feasible entry point is to improve the functionality of the national database in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security as lead agency on trafficking statistics. The project will support partners to review database functionality and outputs, update existing instructions and to develop training on database use for justice staff in the five provinces.

The project will also improve coordination between justice sector agencies with support to localized implementation of prosecution and sentencing strategies in human trafficking leading to a decision on a coordination mechanism for each target province.

Finally, strengthened coordination between justice sector agencies will be supported through proposed UK-Vietnamese justice sector technical cooperation and knowledge exchanges, including key UK justice sector professionals visiting Vietnam to facilitate learning fora.

MORE INFORMATION

To contribute and find out more about the project contact our TMSV team.