On July 2, Deputy Minister Pham The Tung and the Vietnamese delegation participated in the forum’s opening session.
The event also saw the presence of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls at the UK Home Office Jess Phillips and a number of senior officials from relevant agencies of both countries.
In their opening remarks, Deputy Minister Pham The Tung and Under-Secretary Jess Phillips emphasized that human trafficking remains a highly complex and transnational crime, which is currently the most profitable illicit activity, third to drug and arms trafficking, in the world.
They noted that trafficking networks are increasingly targeting not only women and children, but also men, and criminals tend to employ increasingly sophisticated tactics, operate in the form of a transnational organization, and make full use of advanced technologies.
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| Deputy Minister Pham The Tung and Minister Jess Phillips. |
According to participating officials, one of the biggest challenges for many countries, including Vietnam and the UK, is that human trafficking groups take advantage of social media and digital platforms to lure victims.
In that circumstance, the two head delegates underscored the critical importance of international cooperation in combating transnational crime, especially human trafficking.
Stressing that no country can effectively address this threat without collaboration with other countries, multilateral institutions and real-time information-sharing mechanisms.
Deputy Minister Pham The Tung reaffirmed that the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam attaches great importance to fostering and deepening cooperation with the UK Home Office in combating crime, noting that several areas of collaboration have become key pillars in the bilateral law enforcement relations. In deed, the two sides have coordinated closely in control of illegal migration and immigration, combat of trafficking in persons, capacity building, and technical assistance, over the past time.
The guest highly valued the significance of the forum, considering it a crucial step forward of the two sides in an effort to enhance the exchange of practical experiences and promote feasible initiatives, contributing to building a safe, equal and prosperous environment for all people.
As part of the working program, functional units under the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam had meetings with the UK National Crime Agency and various organs of the Home Office to discuss practical measures to expand cooperation in addressing transnational crimes, particularly human trafficking, illegal migration and fraud.