Joint Circular No. 01/2014/TTLT-BCA-BQP-BLDTBXH-BNG dated February 10,2014 guiding the order, procedures for and coordination in, the verification, identification, receipt and return of trafficked victims

GUIDELINES ON RECEIPT AND RETURN OF TRAFFICKED VICTIMS

On February 10, 2014, the joint-ministries of Public Security, Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Foreign Affairs issued the Joint Circular No. 01/2014/TTLT-BCA-BQP-BLDTBXH guiding the order, procedures for and coordination in, the verification, identification, receipt and return of trafficked victims.

In accordance with this Joint Circular, Commune-level People’s Committees or Public Security Offices shall, when receiving victims or their lawful representatives to report on their trafficking, guide them to fill in the declaration forms used for victims trafficked domestically; if victims are children or unable to make declaration by themselves, the receiving officials shall write down their statements; provide daily-life essentials for them, when necessary; and notify district-level Divisions of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs for carrying out the procedures. District-level Divisions of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall, within 3 (three) days after receiving the notifications of commune-level People’s Committees or Public Security Offices on the victims, perform the tasks as in case of availability of papers and documents certifying the victims, to arrange their travel to their residence places or social protection establishments or victim support establishments. In case of unavailability of papers and documents certifying the victims, to send written requests for verification to the district-level Public Security Offices of localities where the victims reside or report the occurrence of human trafficking cases. Pending the verification result, the self-reported victims shall be provided with daily-life essentials as prescribed by law. After obtaining the written replies of the district-level Public Security Offices certifying the victims, to provide assistance for the victims as in the cases of having sufficient grounds for victim identification.

District-level Public Security Offices of localities where the self-reported victims reside or report the occurrence of human trafficking cases, shall verify and identify victims and reply within 20 (twenty) days after receiving written verification requests of district-level Divisions of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs; or if having sufficient grounds through verification for victim identification, to issue certificates of trafficked victims, and send the verification results and these certificates to the district-level Divisions of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs for provision of assistance for victims according to regulations. Besides, If cases are complicated or the verification involves many localities, to report such to the provincial-level Department of Public Security (the Social Order-Related Crime Investigation Police Division) for directing the verification; in this case, the verification time limit for reply is 60 (sixty) days after the receipt of reports of district-level Public Security Offices. After verification, if there are sufficient grounds to certify the victims, the verifying agencies shall reply and issue certificates of trafficked victims and notify the district-level Public Security Offices for performing the remaining tasks.