Vietnam: Supports for essential needs and travel expenses for human trafficking victims

Specifically, according to Article 19 of Decree No. 09/2013/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government, supports for essential needs and travel expenses for human trafficking victims are specified as follows:

Support recipients include:

- Victims being Vietnamese citizens, stateless persons permanently residing in Vietnam and foreigners trafficked in Vietnam;

- Persons awaiting verification to be victims under Articles 24 and 25 of the Anti- Human Trafficking Law;

- Juveniles accompanying victims.

The supports include:

- Meal allowances during temporary stay in social protection establishments or victim support establishments. State budget supports shall be provided for not more than 60 (sixty) days;

- Supports for clothing and essential personal articles. While staying in a social protection establishment or victim support establishment, a victim shall be provided with 2 (two) suits of casual clothes, 2 (two) sets of underwear, a face towel, a pair of plastic slippers, a toothbrush, a toothpaste, a soap, and sanitary napkins (for female victims);

- Meal allowances for traveling days, for victims wishing to return to their places of residence but unable to pay travel and meal expenses during traveling days; supports for travel expenses shall be provided based on ordinary fare rates of means of public transport.

Note: For juvenile victims, the Division of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of districts or provincial towns (hereafter referred to as district-level Division of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) or competent agencies of the Ministry of Public Security or the Ministry of National Defense shall themselves accompany or coordinate with victim support establishments or social protection establishments in accompanying juvenile victims to the places of residence of their relatives.

Support provision responsibility:

- Agencies responsible for providing support for essential needs specified at Points a and b, Clause 2 of this Article include commune-level People’s Committees; public security, border guard and coast guard offices (which receive and rescue victims); victim support establishments; and social protection establishments. After receiving and rescuing victims and carrying out identification procedures, if the commune-level People’s Committees or public security, border guard or coast guard offices (which receive and rescue victims) cannot arrange meals and accommodation for the victims, they shall transfer the victims to social protection establishments or victim support establishments for receiving supports in accordance with regulations.

- Agencies responsible for providing travel and meal allowances specified at Point c, Clause 2 of this Article include district- level Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Divisions, social protection establishments or victim support establishments. For juvenile victims, social protection establishments or victim support establishments shall appoint guardians for the victims during their stay in the establishments and when carrying out legal procedures for returning them to their places of residence.

View more details at Decree No. 09/2013/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from April 15, 2013.

Ty Na

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE