Viet Nam and Saudi Arabia: UN experts call for protection of trafficked workers
GENEVA (4 November 2021) – UN human rights experts* today called on Saudi Arabia
and Viet Nam to crack down on human trafficking after documenting the abuse of
women and girls recruited in Viet Nam to serve as domestic workers in the
kingdom.
“We are seeing traffickers targeting Vietnamese women and girls living in
poverty, many of whom are already vulnerable and marginalised,” they said.
“Traffickers operate with impunity”.
After signing on with labour recruitment companies in Viet Nam, some girls and
women found themselves sexually abused, beaten and subjected to torture and
other cruel treatment by employers once they arrived in Saudi Arabia, the
experts said. Often the women were denied food and medical treatment, not paid
at all, or paid less than stipulated in their contracts.
“We urge Saudi Arabia and Viet Nam to adopt effective measures and
policies to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and to protect trafficked
workers,” the experts said. “We also call on these governments to ensure that
bilateral cooperation on labour migration is human rights-based and includes
effective accountability mechanisms. Saudi Arabia should bring migrant domestic
workers under its labour law protections and extend the reforms of its kafala
system to such workers.”
The experts said they had received “truly alarming allegations” that some
companies in Viet Nam recruited girls as domestic workers and forged their age
on identity documents to hide the fact they were children.
They cited the case of one 15-year-old Vietnamese girl who became ill because of
beatings inflicted by her employer, who also denied her food and medical
treatment. She arranged to return home but died before she could board her
flight back to Viet Nam. Because her documents had been forged by the labour
recruitment agency, her family has not yet been able to get her body returned
home.
Between 3 September and 28 October 2021, nearly 205 women, many alleged victims
of trafficking, were repatriated to Viet Nam. The experts called on Viet Nam to
strengthen the welfare services and assistance provided to the women who return,
including legal assistance, medical and psychosocial care.
They urged both governments to conduct an impartial and independent
investigation into human rights abuses perpetrated against migrant women and
girls, and alleged involvement of public authorities in human trafficking, and
to prosecute the perpetrators.
“We further remind Viet Nam and Saudi Arabia of their international legal
obligations to cooperate in order to combat trafficking in persons, including in
criminal justice investigations, provision of effective remedies and assistance
to victims of trafficking,” said the experts.
The Special Procedures mandate holders have been in contact with Saudi Arabia
and Viet Nam in relation to these allegations. They would like to continue this
constructive engagement with both Governments.
ENDS
*The Experts: Ms.
Siobhán Mullally, Special
Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Mr.
Nils Melzer, Special
Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment; Mr.
Tomoya Obokata, Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and
consequences; Mr.
Felipe González Morales, Special
Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.
Endorsed by:
Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz, Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions.
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