Labour migrants’ vulnerability to human trafficking and labour exploitation in Southeast Asia: An analysis of Vietnam

Vietnamese migrant workers are extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. They assume the risk of migrating for work, and tend to deal with the exploitation themselves rather than reporting it to the authorities. This arises from vulnerabilities they experience directly, such as high fees charged by recruitment agencies, indebtedness, lack of information and irregular status (in some cases). Vulnerability is also a result of the lack of support services, difficulties in investigating cases and the lack of incentive to report them.

This study takes an in-depth look at these factors and provides recommendations to address the vulnerabilities that Vietnamese migrant workers face.

This publication is also available at ODI.org