Trafficking of Migrant Laborers: The Onus on Source Governments*
*title taken from the 2007 TIP Report
Hi all. First off, apologies all around! It's Wed evening and my fist two weeks here in Taiwan have been hectic and filled with adventures!! Sincerest apologies all around for not updating in the first few days but I got caught up with work and traveling with Father Hung. I'll try to backtrack and fill you guys in. I'm not going to be able to update you guys every single day but I will try weekly since I'm on a regular schedule now. I promise this long, overdue update is well worth the time - so please please enjoy the read!

Sept 11 - Arrival after a long flight
I landed in Taiwan on September 11 at precisely 6am, randomly went to a carwash with Cha Hung, ate lots of oatmeal with the women at the shelter, and by 9am I was acclimated to the office. I had a wonderful pho lunch with all the women and men, and by 2pm, I was on my way out the door with Cha Hung and Cha Cuong to the Taoyuan Railway Station. We are taking an over-night trip to Su-ao in Yilan County as a stop-over before we visit the Yilan Detention Center. Here, we will meet with the local Catholic Priest, Cha Chin. He played host and took us to the Su-ao's fish habor, one of Taiwan's major ports. Su-ao is a cute, grubby, smelly little town with an amazing fish market at the end of the harbor. The town is particularly known for its availability of fresh seafood, especially yellowfin tuna, octopus, crabs, squids, hammerhead sharks just lying along the street.
Of particular interest: About three years ago, Su-ao and other ports along TW's coast was the site of massive exploitation of foreign fishermen. Many who sought well-paying fishing jobs (especially those from Mainland China, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Thailand) were subjected to beatings, food deprivation, on top of terrible working conditions. Recruited from poor communities, these men and sometimes-even children were exploited for up to four years. With their passports confiscated, physically and emotional abused, these men often times found it hard to escape as the boat served as a perfect prison and many were left without official passports or travel documents. Highly disposable, these men often died on the seas. Fortunately, three years, the Taiwanese government banned Vietnamese fishermen; but just in taking a brief tour of the harbor, I saw many Indonesians and Thai fishermen. It’s a bit daunting to think that they might also be exploited….

Sept. 12 - Yilan Detention Center
Taiwan's National Immigration Agency operates 5 Detention Centers in Yilan, Matsu, Hsinchu, Sansia, and Kinmen. The NIA is a fairly new development for TW's government; just last year, illegal migrant workers who were picked up by the authorities would be crammed into local police stations until they were repatriated back to their countries. Along with Fathers Chin, Cuong, and Hung, chi My-Nga, VMWBO's director of policy and planning, we went to visit the Yilan Detention Center in Luodong. The Director himself escorted us to the Yilan Detention Center; he has much to prove because of recent outbreaks from the detention center. Read more here! It's a really interesting string of events. About seven women escaped the center using only a smoldering iron! Being spoiled by American standards, I am still surprised by the lack of attention women receive upon official introductions. Taiwan, being socially more advanced than mainland China, is still primarily a patriarchal society and thus fairly often disregards women in an official setting.

First Impressions of the Yilan Det. Center
What a quick way to get my feet wet! In just my second day in Taiwan, I was able to get a first hand account of the conditions of the detention centers. When the police arrest illegal migrant workers, most will spend their time in these detention centers until they can be repatriated back to their home country. In the eyes of the Taiwanese governments the many who have left their employers (many due to abuse – explained below) are criminals. For those who came to Taiwan under a legal work permit, they find themselves working unreasonable hours, physically and physiologically abused by their employers, confined, withheld wages, have their passports and travel documents confiscated, or threatened with repatriation. These migrant workers are victims of exploitative practices. It is no wonder many flee their abusive environment to find a better working and living situation. Now illegal and undocumented, these migrant workers work petty jobs and are labeled as criminal groups by government officials. For the many who do bring their complaints to the brokers or employers, they are rebuffed and threatened of deportation back to their home countries.

The UN TIP (Trafficking In Persons) Protocol supports the victim-centered approach at the core of the international community's anti-trafficking efforts. To this end, there is a human rights principle that victims and survivors of trafficking, debt bondage, forced-labor, and slave-like practices be provided with services and be protected from further trauma. In just my first day of observation, I am saddened to say that the men and women are not receiving these services. It is still too early to make a definite statement about the conditions of the shelter but there obvious concerns. These detainees are treated like criminals, wearing prison garb, not allowed phone calls. Some are obvious victims of physical abuse, whether it is from their employer or further abuse from center's guards. The concern is whether or not the Taiwanese government is offering any services to address such issues or would they allow NGOs and other organizations to come in and assist victims of trafficking.

The women’s center has no women guards and it is scary to think that for those who have been sexually or psychologically abuse, they are further traumatized. The look on these women faces is unforgettable. Many of the women began to cry when Cha Hung described the work that the office does. It is hard to look out into the crowd and not see my mother or eldest sister, or perhaps my many, many aunts and cousins still in Viet Nam - many of whom wish to leave to find better jobs. Many of the men that we met also shed tears when we left. Wearing prison garb, looking thin, scarred, and scared, these men and women left a burning image.......

Also of concern are the Vietnamese brides. Those who come to marry local men (either for fake marriages to work or for real matches) often find themselves in abusive situations. Read more.
There are some in Yilan who fit this category.

While looking at improving the conditions in these centers, I hope to focus particularly on the reasons why these people were forced to leave their legal employers. Labor trafficking happens when there is a blatant abuse of contracts (longer working hours than stated, employer abuse, confinement, etc) and local laws as well as a cruel cycle of debt bondage placed on these workers. For those who had to borrow money or pay a “privilege fee” to work in Taiwan (this is illegal by international standards), they have to work to pay back their initial debt and through initial threats, physical abuse, etc they are forced into continued service. To protect migrant workers from labor exploitation, there has to be a bilateral effort between Vietnam and Taiwan. Source countries such as Vietnam must take the responsibility to protect its workers by demanding that labor agencies and brokers abroad are prosecuted.

Vietnam should support direct hiring services (instead of brokerages), and require rights of these workers be protected. The Taiwan government has to actively investigate employee’s complaints and use a victim-centered approach for the victims of labor trafficking in the detention centers. Of course, this is all talk from me. What is theoretical does not always translate to daily realities of what is happening here in Taiwan. In the next couple of months, VMWBO hopes to have widespread policy changes in the National Immigration Agency to further protect migrant workers and victims of human trafficking. What is reality are the cases of abused migrant workers and trafficked victims that seek shelter at Cha Hung’s office and other NGOs. And of course, I am only talking specifically of the Vietnamese people here in Taiwan. If I were to talk and observe the Filipinos, Thai, or Indonesian workers, no doubt that I will also find these same issues and concerns.

Sept. 17 - Coalition Meeting, the Holy See, and Wipha! Another exciting day as Typhoon Wipha makes its way towards the island. Cha Hung, Chi My-Nga and I go to a meeting with Hope Workers' Center, and TIWA to the Migrant Empowerment Network of Taiwan (MENT) coalition meeting. Gathered in a small office, this collation of labor rights’ groups and anti-trafficking NGOs works together to. I’ll be working with several people to address the conditions in the detention center…..

Sept. 18 - TYPHOON, day of rest! Being a true Texan, I was highly prepared and a little bit curious about my first ever typhoon ...what with tornadoes, hailing storms, and mass flooding a common incidence for me. With such urgency last night amongst the local, I was surprised to wake up to mild winds and rain. Schools and government buildings are closed, so my scheduled anti-trafficking meeting at the NIA is cancelled; no complaints here as I get my first day of rest……to take a look at case files.


*****************
Three weeks into my stay in Taiwan and already there are so many issues and topics to be addressed!! Of particular concern is the detainees in all the detention center. I’ll be focusing particularly on this issue, as well as the relationship between debt and forced labor in taiwan and of course, daily life at the shelter. I have much to learn from the men and women here.


Until next time! :-p Trinh Nguyen

Greetings! My name is Nguyen Quoc Trinh and I am representing VietACT to TaiwanACT. I'll be in Taiwan from September through late December working in Father Hung's Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Brides Office.

Before I start any of my journaling and blogging, I want to give a HUGE thank you to the Dai Hoi family - Tammy, Lilly, Van, My-Nhung, Anh Bao, Tu Do, Viet, Vanessa, Vinh and especially Anh Phong who drove me to LAX..and any other OC people that I happened to leave out. You made my 5-day layover in California particularly memorable, educational, exciting, and overall an exceptionally great induction to the VietACT family.

To Becky Bavinger of the Emancipation Network - you've been my partner in arms; I've learned and experienced so much from you. Stay the course in India. And of course to my many global friends and family - you all who you are. I'll miss you so please keep in contact.

My introduction to human trafficking came rather serendipitously during my first trip back to Viet Nam in 2001. While in Saigon, I came across a 1997 report from the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW) in a cafe that painfully went into detail about the STIs and sexual abuse that existed amongst the women and children trafficked from Cambodia and Vietnam to Thailand. Alarming was the rate of victims who were children (13-33%). Never could I imagine the words sex slaves and human trafficking in this day and age.

Beyond getting mad and frustrated, I tried to absorb as much information as possible about modern-day slavery. Since then, I became better aware of the expansive, convoluted, and many times complicated world of modern-day slavery - where at the root is oppression of the worst kinds. Consider these numbers: 27, 1000, 12. 27 million is the estimated number of enslaved people in the world, 1000 is the average USD price for a human being, and 12 is the average age of a person who is sold. My exposure to Father Hung’s work came through the 2006 TIP report and with my most recent trip last spring to Vietnam. Talking with Vietnamese UNICEF, IOM, and AFESIP employees, I slowly began to peel back the many layers of sex and labor trafficking that exists, as well as the crisis of Vietnamese migrant workers in Taiwan. A mere fact-finding trip, my time in Vietnam last March left me with more questions than answers about the relationship and conditions of the trans-state actors involved with the Vietnamese trafficking issue.

I think the public needs to be overwhelmed by the gravity of modern-day slavery. It is wholly a global problem and affects everyone. It is a global immigration issue, a threat to public health, a human rights violation, a threat to all countries' national security because it feeds on organized crime. We've put a price on our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers by saying it is OK to turn a commercial profit on human life; the demand is constantly there. So be overwhelmed and then learn more and join the fight to stop modern-day slavery.

That brings me right up to the work that I'll be doing at Cha Hung's office. For the women there, they are hardly a statistic. They are all survivors of a horrible tragedy and a constant reminder that while freedom may not be free, it is definitely worth fighting for. I am incredibly humbled to be chosen for VietACT. I am ready to work, ready to learn, and ready to be a part of the fight to stop global slavery.

If you're reading this, you're obviously already an interested anti-trafficker, if not already a dedicated abolitionist. Many cheers to you!
Trinh
P.S.
Please make sure to check out these incredible links and books:

Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales
Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves by Kevin Bales
The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade by Victor Malarek
Trade - a new movie that opens this month about the global sex trade
2007 TIP (Trafficking in Persons) Report from the US State Department

Along with VietACT, please check out these amazing organizations who each are involved are all involved in the protection, prevention, and prosecution of human trafficking
Polaris Project
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
The Emancipation Network
ECPAT International

Hi All,

I left Taiwan on the 30th and as of now, miss the folks there very much! My last week in Taiwan went by very fast. So much has happened: from the hurricane/storm effect- to the trip to Danshui - Taipei Zoo - and even a Puppet Museum. Let's not forget tea time with Chen Chen and friends and the day I made an afternoon snack for the people at the shelter.

The trip to Danshui (a beautiful beach-side in Northwest of Taiwan) was on the 25th, followed by the trip to Taipei Zoo on the 26th. During these two days, I bonded even closer with the women. One began telling me how this was the first time she went anywhere since working in Taiwan. Her last two years was nothing but work. Another woman added that she worked 6 consecutive years for a family and never once set foot outside the gates of the house. It was pretty depressing to hear such stories - but I'm glad they are NOW able to enjoy the outdoors!

Cha Hung left for a religious retreat to Penghu (my birthplace) on the 28th and on that same day, I cooked for the women. It was hard to find what I needed (the ingredients that is), but in the end - I managed to whip up some potato salad, a different form of "taco", and some regular salad with thousand islands dressing (the women here LOVE that dressing)!!! Thanks Chen Chen for your help!!!

The day I left the shelter was very hard. I remember walking out of the office, heading down the stairs, being trailed by 30+ people. Some helped with the luggages, some held me tightly, others wanted to take a final picture, etc. It went by so fast. Three women got permission to personally escort me to the airport. It was an even harder goodbye later on... I've made some special friends here at the shelter. I hope to reunite with them all one day ... hopefully in Vietnam when they reunite with their OWN family!

I thought A LOT about my experience in Taiwan while heading back to the U.S. Although the duration in time was short, that moment in time has changed my life forever. I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to help at the shelter. I managed to learn a lot about human trafficking, about Vietnam/Taiwan, about the situation, about others, and about ME!

Til this very day, the women will call me at very wierd hours. One would call at 3am, 5am, etc. They have no idea what the time difference is - so they call whenever they are free. Luckily, due to my jet lag problem, I am able to answer their call. Once I'm back to normal with the sleeping cycle I hope the early morning phone calls will be post poned until 9am or something. Haha!

I've been receiving emails from the women daily! I keep in touch with all of them as though they were my own sisters. My Vietnamese (in terms of reading and writing) is not as proficient - so its really hard to read and reply, but I'm doing my best.

Alright. More updates later!

Last week, I taught the women various terms of the human body: head, ears, etc. Following the lesson, I taught them how to make Worry Dolls - emphasizing on the words we all just learned. Vanessa taught this (terms of the human body) last summer and made sock monkeys with the women - I'm doing Worry Dolls instead! I believe Worry Dolls originate from Guatemala. Legend has it that when you go to bed at night, you tell one "worry" to each doll - place them under your pillow - and when you wake up, the dolls will take THAT worry away. I thought the project was very appropriate and therefore, decided to execute it during the week of learning human body part terminology.

Here are images of the Worry Dolls / Hinh Nhan Lo Lang:

The middle one (pink/gray) was the best! I think recognizing her skills via posting on this blog is A MUST! Good Job!!!

Status at the shelter...

One of the women here is very fraustrated with everything - she obviously needed some fresh air. I told her I needed a hair cut, so asked if she could take me to the barber shop. She was more than happy too. While walking, I began to asked her, whats going on, etc. She vented her problems and I encouraged her to let it all out. Although I only know her for 3 weeks or so now, I understand her personality very well. I gave her my advice and told her not to mind what other people say or think, etc. After awhile, I started to put my wise [crack] jokes to use. She started to laughed again and soon we were at the shop. After my hair cut, we got some Boba and she told me she felt much better. She told me she can't find anyone here like me that she can talk to about her problems. Sure there's Cha Hung and the rest of the staff here, but I guess its less intimidating to talk to me? Well, she's definitely much better now... lets hope there's no more problems!!!

About a week or so left in Taiwan. Time flies by so quickly. Anywho, here are some random pictures of Taiwan!

KFC fries with cheese sauce and rice cracker? Very interesting!

Lots of Gashapon places!

Various fruits at the market place. This one is Sour Sop [I believe?]

I believe we just call this the star fruit?

This is what I play at night! It's call "Ka-Ro". I'm still a beginner - its a very intensive game. Sort of like a complex Tic-Tac-Toe, but you need five in a row. It's fun though~!

Last but not least, this past Sunday was Happy Valentine's Day in Taiwan, Le Tinh Nhan.

Its a bittersweet moment when people leave the shelter. You miss them but you're also happy for them because they will reunite with their family. A group of five girls and another girl all recently left this week. I am very happy for them and pray that their journey was safe and sound! Perhaps I can meet up with them next summer, should my family visit Vietnam! Here are their final words:

Translate: Thank You Father (Hung) and Elder Sisters for helping, caring, and comforting us all this past few [weeks] (or past short moment in time). Today we return to Vietnam already. We wish everyone at the shelter to have what they want (or have things their way anytime they want).

*Much apologizes if my Vietnamese terminology is not correct.



English class this morning dealt with the human body. Each person took turn drawing ONE body part: nose, two ears, etc. This is the final Masterpeice! I'm going to enlarge it and hang it in my room!



There's a new class at that shelter! Daily 7:00-10:00 PM Dance Class! I currently teach it! To start off, I taught them the infamous "Electric Slide". The women here love it!!!!!

It's been two weeks in Taiwan and I've already learned so much. Not just about the human trafficking situation; but also the culture, language, and Catholic religion. I am fortunate to have the women here show me around the city of Taipei. It indeed is a beautiful place!

Trying to understand the siutation of human trafficking here is very tricky. The women usually open up about their stories BRIEFLY here and there. The regulation here at the office states that the intern is NOT suppose to ask the women/victims anything (about thier situation)- so its a bit hard to fully understand and know everything. Everyone here has a difficult/complex situation and something to worry and think about each night; but they tend not show it on the outside. It is through late night chats over Mahjong and Sunday shopping through the city that allows me to know a little bit about each of them. In the next few weeks before depature, I hope the rest of them will open up to me!

English class is going well. So far, the women can count to one hundred, sing the English Alphabet, and communicate greetings with one another! Tomorrow will be the human body: head, hands, ears, etc. I believed Vanessa taught them this already and made sock monkeys to help them practice the new terms. However, the women here come and go - so majority did not learn this yet. We'll play "Simon Says" after learning the new terms.

I try to mix activities, games, and learning into each session - so that learning will be more interactive and entertaining. So far, this method is going well!

More later!

Hey Everyone,

All is in well in Taiwan. Yesterday was our "Hop Gia Dinh" (every Friday at 7pm) and it has been amended that I teach English everyday for 1 hour (excluding weekends). I think frequency is BEST when teaching any language. Daily exposures and practices will help them greatly in grasping the skills needed to successfully communicate in English!

We are currently preparing for a very important religious observation for this Sunday. Eight of the women here have practiced day and night for the past 2 weeks on a dance with the song "Dem Hoi Trang Ram". It's really nice!

More later ...

Below is what the women folded on the first day of class - the origami flower box with mini wishing stars. Each star contains a written wish!


Yesterday (on Sunday 8/5/07) was Father's Day in Taiwan. It is usually celebrated on August 8th, but since they wanted to celebrate things on a religious day, we celebrated it on the 5th (Sunday) . The official holiday is call "Ba Ba Jie". The number "8" in Taiwan is pronounced "Ba" and "Ba" means "Father" in Vietnamese. So the 8th Day of the 8th month is reserve for Father's Day. The mass was conducted at another church, so a group of 3-6 women took me on my first bus ride and a stroll on the streets of Taipei. There are so many stores here. They have A LOT of 7-Eleven, KFC, and the infamous McDonald.

Here is my first Boba Drink in Taipei. It's MUCH better over here!


Here's the inside of the church that we attended for "Ba Ba Jie"


On our way back from church, the women introduced me to stinky tofu - something only a small percentage of foriegners can tolerate. I LOVE IT!!! Although too much will make me sick! I heard about stinky tofu through those Chinese Drama I watched. It's finally great to taste it!



Finally, this is the path I take to work each day. It takes no less than 5 walking minutes to get there!

Today was on the downlow. I spent more time on the database project than I did with the women. Dinner is about to start and then I'll be free to play volleyball, mahjong, and watch our nightly drama with the women! More later!

Vanessa warned me that it'll take a month before the women here will start to open up to me. Well, Day Four of the internship caught me by surprise. A women came to me and asked if I could help her with her voice recorder. This voice recorder contains proof that her husband repeatedly beats her and yell at her very harshly. Unfortunately, when I played the mp3 for her, nothing was recorded. She began to tell me how her husband mistreated her everyday. She wanted so bad to recapture those moments inorder to show the court her situation. It really is unfortunate that she couldn't record anything. And now she won't have the chance to do so again.

* FYI: Her voice recorder lights up whenver it is on. She was afraid her husband would see it, so she wrapped paper around it and hid it in her pocket as he yelled and beats her around. I personally think she must have pressed the wrong button because she herself could not physically see that voice recorder.

Cha Hung is currently dealing with her situation right now, so we'll see what happens in the next week or so.

On a more pleasant note, three of the women here took me out to buy a Mah Jong set. It was the first time I got to walk around from where I intern. I had the chance to get to know these three much better. They are quite funny. It's histerical with them~! Anyways, I hope to use this Mah Jong set to not only teach the women the game itself but to learn numbers as well (in English of course). So far, their hands are itching to play each time!

Well, I got injured (minor scratches) today by slipping on the volleyball court. It was raining, but despite the water, we STILL PLAYED!!! As a result, SOMEBODY had to get injured right? :(

Well, dinner is over and the women here are playing again - So I will go join them!

Take Care Everyone!

Just thought I add the Art of Soybean Making. The women here make some killer Soybean Milk. I think I will miss the fresh and natural taste of soybean milk when I return here to the states!

Cac Chi o day lam Sua Dau Nanh RAT la NGON!" So MOT !!!! ;-)

Here's a quick step by step of the entire process:
-Soybean is soak in water for 4-6 hours (depending on quantity)
-The bean itself is then added to a blender with a ratio of 1 cup soybean to 3 cup water


-While one person is blending, another person squeezes what have been blender into another container.
-She then rinses out the excess into another container.


-She dumps what is left from the bag into a third container.
-As you can see, there are a lot of bowls for this soybean making process.


-This is what you get so far from all the extraction.


-Now it's time to boil the what has been extracted. They let it cook for 10 minutes!
-Sugar is added once they think the soybean milk is hot enough. As sugar is added, one has to continue to stir the soybean every now and then to make sure that solids will not build up at the top layer.


-After 10 minutes, the soybean milk is ready to drink. You can drink it hot or wait for it to cool down, add ice, and drink it cold! Although it is hot here, I prefer hot soybean milk. ;-)

Hope you all enjoy this cultural aspect of Taiwan!

Just though I'd post some pictures...

Here's my plane from LAX to TPE airport:

TPE Airport:

My room in Taipei (The room from "The Grudge"):

Day Three of Internship, It's RAINING!!!:

Day Three or so of my internship and I must say, the women and I bonded fairly quickly since the day I arrived. They have a new volleyball area and through playing these various sports (the other is badminton), I've managed to easily break the ice with them. I must add, Cha Hung is quite good at Badminton. Who would have thought?

At the shelter, the women here all refer to me as "Anh Vinh" (Big Brother Vinh), even though majority of them are older than me. In return, I address them all by "Chi" (Older Sister). So it's quite wierd how we address each other - but there's nothing anyone can do about this!

For those that don't know, as a VietACT Intern, one is require to teach various classes for the women here. I am currently in charge of doing computer classes, English classes, Arts and Crafts classes, and then a mixture of various activities inbetween. Today I was supposed to teach computer classes, but since the projector cannot be located, we did various activities along with some paper folding.

To start the class off, we went around the room to introduce each other. This will allow me to know the names of everyone here better and will allow them to know the names of each other as well (we recently have five new people here). The rule was that they have to introduce themself in English by saying...

"My Name is ... Vinh", etc.

Then and I asked if anyone can recite the names of all the women here. One person did and I gave her some American snack! Everyone clapped!!!

After the introduction, we headed downstairs to do some outdoor activities. The activities included some stuff I taught my officers when I was President for our VSA (SDSU - Vietnamese Student Association). It encourages the women to work together, communicate with each other, and realize that things are possible if they all help and support one another. Following the activities, I taught the women how to fold a flower box. Then I taught them how to fold little stars to put in their newly made flower box. I presume the women here all have hardship, wishes, and hopes - so with each star, I told them to write down there wishes and hopefully it will come true. We joked around a lot, laughed throughout the session - they all said today's lesson was very fun and very engaging. I'd like to note that throughout the class session, I would do my best to teach them English whenever appropriate, such as: stars, thank you, one, two, etc. The women here are quick learner and are very eager to learn new things! I'm sure we'll have more fun classes in the future.

After class, I now have a new name, Thay Vinh (Teacher Vinh). It really is too much right?

Right now (around 1PM) we just ate lunch and the women are resting/relaxing. At 3pm they will attend another class (conducted by another staff), follow by dinner (at 6pm), and then our traditional game of volleyball at night.

The days are slipping by very quickly so I'm doing my best to cherish the moments I have here at that shelter. I've adjusted to the sleeping cycle here (no more jet lag) but occasionally wake up at 3am for no apparent reason.

Life is good here in Taipei! I look forward to tomorrow!

P.S. It's hot and thundering everywhere!

P.S.S. And Vi (Vanessa) - the staff and women here at the shelter said "Hi"! They told me your Vietnamese was very soft and cute! Haha! Come back and visit them! ;-)

I've been wanting to post this entry a long time ago, but my laptop and internet connection had problems. Here's an entry that I wanted to post since Day One of my Internship!

Ni Hau Ma from Taipei!

Obviously if you are reading this entry, it can only mean one thing - I made it safe and sound to Taipei. It was a long 13 hour flight until I finally got to TPE airport at around 11pm and settled down at the apartment around midnight. My room is very cozy and comfy. It has the traditional Japanese sliding door that reminds me very much of the room from “The Grudge”. It's equipped with a water fan (I would die without this) and the place I sleep is right next to the window, hopefully to capture in the humid breeze at night time. Its 84 degree and humid, but it's actually not as bad as I had imagined. My summer trip to Vietnam many years ago was much worse. So the condition here is manageable. I'm slowly getting adjusted to the sleep cycle over here. I believed I only slept 4 hours last night with 3-5 sudden interruptions. I'm typing this during the evening over here, which is about 1-2am in the U.S. – so I'm VERY sleepy right now.

It's currently Day One of my internship and my very first assignment was to visit a Male Detention Center / MDC (another shelter approximately 15 minutes or so away from the place I’m currently interning). The MDC is where our Vietnamese brothers (ages ranged from the early twenties to the forties) are held captive due to illegal immigration, job bribery, and many other reasons. It was so surreal to be inches away from them because I usually hear stories like these through the newspapers and from the internet. As Cha Hung and a Case Worker (Chi Mai) interviewed the men individually, I cannot help, but sympathize with their situation and wished that there was something I can do.

I mainly stood by Cha Hung's side and listened to the stories. As soon as Cha Hung left for something, I had a chance to talk to the men. Nobody knew that I was Vietnamese (they thought I was Taiwanese) and they were shocked when I started asking them questions in Vietnamese. They were fairly young men(my age in their early twenties) and that's what probably broke the ice between us. I really felt like I was either speaking to one of my cousins or uncles from Vietnam.

One of the things I've learned is that the men stay at the center all day long and are only allowed outside twice a week. One guy personally requested that the next time I return (Cha Hung visit this place every Wednesday), that I bring them some Vietnamese reading material because they are very bored here. I wish I knew about this prior to leaving the U.S., because there are tons of Vietnamese reading materials down in east side San Diego and even some that I have laying around in my house. Now that I'm in Taiwan, I don't even know where to start looking for them. If YOU have any Vietnamese magazines, newspapers, books – anything that you think they will enjoy in order to kill time, please send them directly to Cha Hung's office and I will personally hand it to them at my next visit.

Well, I just had lunch with the staff and victims here at the shelter. This is my first meal with them so it's very awkward at first. I'm sure with time I'll be able to get to know each and everyone of them. I'd like to add that I'm having trouble remembering everyone's name, so I try to question and converse without using their name. It's quite mind-boggling!
Well, just thought I do an update on this blog while I wait for my evening meeting with Cha Hung.

Hey Everyone,

Things have been crazy this past few weeks due to the whole "Passport Problem". Everything is settled now and I'm ready to finally depart for Taiwan. Many thanks to Lilly, Van, My Dung, Tammy, Vanessa, Chi My Nga, Cha Hung, and the rest of the VietACT family for your never-ending support and patience!

Those currently organizing the Conference, I hope things are going well with that. Hopefully we can secure 200-300 attendees as planned! I will constantly send out emails and reminders regarding this event! I unfortunately won't be able to come back in time (for the conference) to share my stories of the suffering and pain that our brothers and sisters are going through over in Taiwan. However, I will work with Cha Hung and the rest of the staff to see if we can produce an interview or something to send back over to the U.S. in time for the conference.

Well, I guess tonight is one last summer night in the U.S. I'll keep you all posted of my "safety" arrival in Taiwan as soon as I can! Until then...

This is Vinh signing OUT!

Welcome Vinh!

I'm happy to see that the VietACT family and the internship program is growing. Here is some more information about the Human Trafficking Conference in August mentioned in Vinh's last post:

Human Trafficking Conference Announcement

In May of 2006, there was a Human Trafficking Conference in Washington, D.C. It was hosted by several local community organizations along with about 20 co-sponsoring organizations. VietACT, UNAVSA were participants in the conference. The 2^nd Human Trafficking Conference will be held in Little Saigon, California. Different from the previous conference, this conference will be a collaborative effort by several organizations interested in working on the issues of human trafficking of Vietnamese women, men, and children.

The Co-Organizers of this year’s Human Trafficking Conference are, VietACT, the Viet Nam Human Rights Network, all based in Southern California and the Vietnamese Voters Association based in Virginia. The co-sponsors of the conference are Chapman University as well as the American Association of University Women.

The purpose of this conference is to continue the efforts of public awareness with the general public, the youth, the media and elected officials. The conference also aims to educate the public about the problem of human trafficking from different angles, such as from the law enforcement, services for victims/survivors, and the problem of human trafficking in the context of human rights. Lastly, the conference will focus on coming up with a concrete plan of action to effectively fight against human trafficking.

The conference will consist of two parts. On August 24^th, there will be a Gala at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel from 6 o’clock pm to 10 o’clock pm. This fundraising gala will include dinner, entertainment and fundraising efforts in conjunction with a program that will highlight the issue of human trafficking. The one day conference will be held on August 25^th at Chapman University in Orange County. The purpose of this conference is to continue the efforts of public awareness with the general public, the youth, the media and elected officials.

For more information or if you would like to become a co-sponsor, please contact:

Cuong Nguyen at 714-724-7799

Tammy Tran at thientam@vietact.org

Van Le at vanle@vietact.org/720-934-3914

Vanessa Nguyen at nessanguyen@yahoo.com

Tram Ton at tramiton@gmail.com

Hội Thảo về Tệ Nạn Buôn Người

Vào tháng Năm 2006, một cuộc Hội Thảo về Tệ Nạn Buôn Người đã được tổ chức ở Hoa Thịnh Đốn. Các tổ chức cộng đồng địa phương cùng với khỏang 20 tổ chức đồng bảo trợ đã đứng ra thực hiện. VietACT, UNAVSA là những tổ chức tham dự vào cuộc hội thảo này. Cuộc hội thảo lần thứ hai sẽ được tổ chức ở vùng Little Saigon, California. Khác với kỳ hội thảo trước, kỳ hội thảo này là một cố gắng chung của những tổ chức quan tâm làm việc trên những vấn đề buôn bán phụ nữ, nô lệ lao động nam nhân và trẻ em.

Đồng tổ chức cuộc Hội Thảo về Tệ Nạn Buôn Người năm nay gồm có VietACT, Mạng Lưới Nhân Quyền Việt Nam, hai tổ chức này ở Nam California và Vietnamese Voters Association ở Virginia. Đồng bảo trợ cuộc hội thảo gồm có Chapman University và American Association of University Women.

Mục đích của cuộc hội thảo là để tiếp tục đánh động dư luận quần chúng, giới trẻ, giới truyền thông và các giới chức dân cử. Cuộc hội thảo cũng nhằm mục đích đem sự hiểu biết đến quần chúng về tệ nạn buôn người được nhìn từ những góc nhìn khác nhau, như từ sự áp dụng luật pháp, giúp đỡ nạn nhân/người sống sót, và tệ nạn buôn người trong ý nghĩa của nhân quyền. Cuối cùng, cuộc hội thảo sẽ hướng đến việc đưa ra một kế họach hành động cụ thể để chống trả lại một cách có hiệu quả về tệ nạn buôn người.

Cuộc hội thảo sẽ gồm có hai phần. Ngày 24/8/2007 sẽ có một buổi tiệc ở Anaheim Plaza Hotel từ 6:00PM đến 10:00PM. Buổi tiệc gây quỹ này sẽ gồm có cơm chiều, văn nghệ và gây quỹ được liên kết với phần trình bày về tệ nạn buôn người. Một ngày hội thảo sẽ được tổ chức vào 25/8/2007 ở Chapman University, Quận Cam. Mục đích của cuộc hội thảo là để tiếp tục đánh động dư luận quần chúng, giới trẻ, giới truyền thông và các giới chức dân cử. Cuộc hội thảo cũng nhằm mục đích đem sự hiểu biết đến quần chúng về tệ nạn buôn người được nhìn từ những góc nhìn khác nhau, như từ sự áp dụng luật pháp, giúp đỡ nạn nhân/người sống sót, và tệ nạn buôn người trong ý nghĩa của nhân quyền. Cuối cùng, cuộc hội thảo sẽ hướng đến việc đưa ra một kế họach hành động cụ thể để chống trả lại một cách có hiệu quả về tệ nạn buôn người.

Muốn biết thêm chi tiết hoặc muốn trở thành người đồng bảo trợ, xin tiếp xúc:

Cuong Nguyen số 714-724-7799

Tammy Tran tại thientam@vietact.org

Van Le tại vanle@vietact.org/720-934-3914

Vanessa Nguyen tại nessanguyen@yahoo.com

Tram Ton tại tramiton@gmail.com

Hey Everyone,

This is Anthony Nguyen (or Vinh) and I am honored to serve as one of two VietACT Interns for the summer of 2007. I’m a recent graduate from San Diego State University (SDSU- Go Aztecs!) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. I got involved with VietACT after learning about human trafficking during a San Diego community event in 2004. Months later, I was introduced to Tammy during a UVSA meeting and since then, have serve VietACT as an active member and currently- the Region Representative for San Diego.

As the week dwindles down, the realization that I’ll be heading to Taiwan to work with our victimized brothers and sisters is still surreal. However, after spending one last summer dinner with friends, visiting close relativities, and soon- one last summer mass with the family… it HIT me. Taiwan awaits and it’s time to put my passion into action.

Like most of you- I’ve watched the documentaries, read the memoirs, and have seen the photos. But to be in the scene and environment of this global reality is truly something I know I can never forget. I hope to come away from this experience with an even stronger passion to hopefully motivate and encourage others to do something about human trafficking. Whether it’s to be self educated about the situation, coordinate an awareness event, or join VietACT. Remember, “The only thing necessary for evil to flourish if for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke.

With regards to my work in Taiwan, I’ve been assigned to work with the Microsoft Access Program to categorize and analyze over 700+ cases of human trafficking victims. Upon completion of this assignment, I hope to leave TaiwanACT (and VietACT) with useful information about the victims of human trafficking. On weekends, Cha Hung and I will be meeting with Taiwan Officials and other NGOs to hopefully network, collaborate, and perhaps work on further awareness and legislative initiatives on human trafficking. In getting to know the victims better, I will be running weekly “Arts and Crafts” classes, therefore, if any of you have old art supplies, please send them directly to the office.

Following this internship, I will be heading to Washington D.C. (in the fall) to intern for the U.S. Department of State. Hopefully we (VietACT) can utilize this opportunity to execute some political action with regards to human trafficking. Perhaps this will be a good time to reveal our signature campaign to congress? Finally, I’ll be heading back to school to get my Master’s Degree in International Affairs/Relations and we’ll see where this will lead me. If there’s anything else you want to know about me, please feel free to email me!

Please visit this blog and message me every now and then, as I will do my best to update this frequently. It would be nice to hear from home – VSAers, SDSUers, Viet ACTor & ACTresses, and “the Gangs” (you know who you are) – I’ll be waiting for your messages!!!

Lastly, hopefully the conference planning is going well. Sorry I can’t be there to directly help out with that- but will do whatever I can overseas (e.g. PR!!!). Three days and counting… but until then- guess I better start packing??? O_O