Labor Migration and Trafficking among Vietnamese Migrants in Asia

Abstract

Asia is known as a continent where human trafficking is particularly prevalent. Departing from the bulk of research on trafficking in Asia that focuses on illegal migration and prostitution, this article examines the embeddedness of human trafficking in legal temporary migration flows. This analysis uses survey and interview data to document the experiences of Vietnamese migrants who worked in East Asian countries. It identifies a continuum of trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and forced labor, and examines how exploitation begins at the recruitment stage with the creation of bonded labor. Guest-worker programs in destination countries put migrants in particularly precarious situations, which do, in some cases, qualify as trafficking. I argue that temporary migration programs may create the conditions that lead to extreme forms of exploitation among many legal migrant workers in the region.

The impact of government regulation on recruitment process, rights, wages and working conditions of labor migrants in the Israeli construction sector

“…The need to pay back the money invested in migration (high recruitment fees) may prevent migrant workers from claiming their rights in the host society's labor market; consequently, migrant workers become more vulnerable to exploitation (Bélanger, 2014;Kemp and Raijman, 2014;Basok and López-Sala, 2015). Sometimes migrants have to pay high recruitment fees for a work permit and usually they have to take loans to finance their trip.…”

“…After arrival, abuses can also result in late payment of wages, unsafe working environments, restrictions on freedom of movement, and in some cases physical or sexual intimidation (see e.g., Bélanger, 2014;Kushnirovich and Raijman, 2014;Samantroy, 2014). After arrival, abuses can also result in late payment of wages, unsafe working environments, restrictions on freedom of movement, and in some cases physical or sexual intimidation (see e.g., Bélanger, 2014;Kushnirovich and Raijman, 2014;Samantroy, 2014).…”

Does “buyer beware” work in migration? Contracting between brokers and migrants in Vietnam

“…The choice of Vietnam and Taiwan as home and host countries is incidental to this primary focus. Although there are several researches about migration from Vietnam (Wang and B elanger, 2011;B elanger, 2014;Le, 2010;B elanger et al, 2010), none has focused specifically on brokers and contracts. We expect that our findings will throw light on whether a purely market-oriented organization of the exchange between migrants and brokers leads to equitable outcomes.…”

“…Since the migrants described in this study are, for the most part, economically weak and less literate than brokers, they are at a persistent informational disadvantage relative to brokers. Asymmetries are also exacerbated in Vietnam by the fact that brokers are, for the most part, politically connected entities (Bélanger, )…”

La estructura del “sector del sexo” en el sureste asiático. Una realidad poliédrica

“…Redes sofisticadas donde las nuevas tecnologías juegan un papel crucial para reclutar, transportar y vender mujeres y niños fuera de las fronteras nacionales (Belanger, 2014;Coalition Against Trafficking in Women y Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women). Es habitual de hecho encontrar a mujeres que trabajaban en la industria del sexo que no son del país donde la ejercen (Huguet, 2011); esto aumenta su vulnerabilidad.…”