Supporting Survivors of Human Trafficking
How USAID is training frontline workers in Vietnam
When four survivors of human trafficking came into her office seeking help, Hoang Thanh Thao, a social worker at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs in Vietnam, was at a loss. As a social worker, she had served clients on a number of issues, but did not have experience supporting survivors of trafficking.
Thao’s experience is not unique. In Vietnam, frontline workers often lack the specific skills they need to effectively identify and provide support to survivors of trafficking.
The 2023 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report reveals that Vietnamese are often deceived by cyber-scams and subjected to forced labor, sexual abuse, forced marriage, violence, and extortion. Accurate numbers of people trafficked in Vietnam are hard to verify because survivors fear possible repercussions from authorities, and many sex trafficking cases go unreported due to social stigma.
Survivors of trafficking need a wide range of support, from physical to psychological, in order to overcome the devastation of this crime.
Thao struggled to understand their needs and address their fears.
“I felt helpless,” Thao said. “I wanted to give them the care they needed, but I just didn’t know what to do.”
USAID partnered with Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to create a curriculum for social workers, like Thao, as well as police, border guards, and women’s union representatives to close this skill gap and improve support for this vulnerable population.
In April 2023, Thao attended one of the first of these training sessions, where she learned how to navigate the complexities of providing support for survivors through a survivor-centered approach.
Often, survivors face stigma after being trafficked, being blamed for it and even shunned in their communities if they were sexually exploited. To overcome these challenges, frontline workers are taught to identify and evaluate each person’s unique situation and circumstances.
This includes taking gender into account to help eliminate gender-based discrimination and stigma. Gender sensitivity ensures that frontline support services are tailored to individual needs and help social workers empower survivors to overcome barriers to recovery and reintegration.
Thao was trained on how to effectively reach out and support survivors of trafficking through understanding the trauma from which they were suffering. She learned to create a safe environment so survivors trust her and the services she can provide. Her capacity to effectively communicate with and listen to survivors improved her ability to provide appropriate assistance.
“I feel very lucky to have gained more knowledge and skills. This has helped me assist victims and provide them with better support,” Thao shared.
After these trainings, Thao received personal coaching to further her professional development. Eager to share this new knowledge with her colleagues, she was paired with experienced trainers to learn how to facilitate trainings for her peers. This resulted in Thao facilitating 11 departmental trainings for social workers and community-based partners.
Thao has also led anti-trafficking communication sessions on the risks of being trafficked, preventive measures, and support services in vocational training schools, colleges, and universities throughout Ho Chi Minh City, as well as in industrial and export processing zones.
Commenting on what motivates her, Thao said: “The more people who are informed about how to prevent human trafficking, the greater the impact.”
Since August 2023, Thao, along with 10 other frontline workers, collectively have trained more than 100 additional frontline workers.
USAID and its partner FHI360 are continually improving the curriculum based on field testing, participant experience, and knowledge assessments. Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs plans to institutionalize the curriculum.
Support for frontline workers like Thao is building long-term, sustainable local capacity and strengthening advocacy to prevent and combat human trafficking across Vietnam.
Thao continues to support survivors, empowered by her new skills and confident in her role to make a difference.
About the Authors
Linh Phan is a Project Manager at the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control(EpiC) project. Benjamin Ilka is the Creative Advisor at USAID’s Mission in Vietnam.
