According to the district’s Women Union, at present, 291 local women are absent from their home. Among those, 173 have come to China illegally, including both single and married women. They are facing with the high risk of being victims of human trafficking rings. 

Women in Tuong Duong District, who left their home, are facing with the high risk of being victims of human trafficking rings

Lo Thi Bao from Xa Luong Commune said that around 30 women in the commune had left their home, including 10 that are married. They went out of the locality without informing local authorities. 

In December last year, Nghe An Province’s police rescued four women and girls sold to China, including two in Xa Luong Commune. These people trusted a man who promised to bring them to China to an engineering firm with a monthly salary of VND6 million (USD272.7) per month. However, a short time later, they were forced to work as sex workers. Then, they tried to escape to return to Vietnam.

Quang Thị May X, 15, came to China to find a job when she was just 15 years old. She lost contact with her family for five years. Until early last year, she phoned her parents, saying that she was married with two children. 

The young mother said that she was not allowed to go out of the house, becoming isolated with the outside world so, she couldn’t contact her family.

 Illegitimate children

Tuong Duong District’s Women Union reported that around 40 children whose fathers were Chinese have been taken their mothers, including 27 provided with a birth of certificate by local authorities. However, all of them bear their mother’s surname and the fathers’ information on the birth of certificate is left vacant.

Dozens of children whose fathers were Chinese have been taken their mothers but bear their mother’s surname 

After being brought to Vietnam, many women have returned to China to work, leaving their children to be taken care of by their parents. 

Tran Phuc Tu, head of Tuong Duong District’s police board said that sometimes, Chinese men came to the locality to ask to meet their children. However, not all of them have legal papers to enter Vietnam and only those who have enough required legal papers can be allowed to meet their children. 

Tu added that many women hoped to have a better life when migrating to other places, particularly foreign countries, so they agreed to sell themselves to China with the price of VND35-80 million (USD1,600-3,600).

According to Tu, several local women who were human trafficking victims even returned the locality to entice others to China.

Marriage problems are also blamed for mass migration of women in Tuong Duong District. Lots of local women feel disappointed when they often face their drug-addicted husbands’ violent behaviour. 

Lo Thi Oanh, vice chairman of Tuong Duong District’s Women Union, said in previous years, up to 1,000 women were absent from their town. But, thanks to efforts by local authorities to generate jobs and raise public awareness about illegal migration and human trafficking risks, the number has drastically dropped.