Lai Chau police arrested a woman involved in human trafficking. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Nearly 5,000 phone calls related to human trafficking have been made through the hotline 1800 1567 since 2012, as heard during a conference in Hanoi on February 24 to review the helpline project outcomes.
With the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)’s Department of Child Protection and Care began the initiative in July 2012 in a bid to prevent human trafficking.
Three targeted localities are Hanoi, the Mekong Delta province of An Giang and the northernmost province of Ha Giang.
According to Nguyen Cong Hieu, deputy head of the department’s consulting and communications service office, the project has thus far formed a network between different governmental and provincial-level agencies, along with well-trained groups of operators.
The MoLISA is currently planning the project for the next four-year period, said Director General of the department Dang Hoa Nam.
Vietnam hopes for further support from JICA to sustain the hotline operation in Vietnam and expand its connection with countries in Southeast Asia and the Mekong sub-region, Nam added.
JICA Vice Chief Representative Naoki Kakioka spoke highly of the coordination among related agencies in operating the hotline, which helped raise local awareness in the three localities.
JICA commits to closely monitoring the first phase of the project until its end on March 15, 2016 and to providing additional assistance for the Vietnamese side moving forward, he said.
Participants put forth a range of measures to improve the helpline, including providing sufficient funding and training operators capable of speaking ethnic languages.-VNA
