VietACT

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. Women, children, and men are bought and sold everyday, all over the world. In January 2004, Dateline NBC broadcasted "Children for Sale," an hour-long special report based on an investigation of brothels in Camdodia specialized in the sexual exploitation of young girls, mostly from neighboring country Vietnam. The real life images of girls as young as 8 years old hit home to many people, especially the Vietnamese youth.

Following in March 2004, news broke out worldwide about a Taiwanese man who put three young Vietnamese women on Ebay Taiwan for sale as wives "shipped only to Taiwan" for the price of $5,400. Simultaneously, there was a greater awareness and public concern about the growing trend of Vietnamese women and children brought to Taiwan as brides and housemaids. Stories of abuse, deception, and exploitation fills news pages and radio airwaves. In response to this, Father Peter Nguyen Van Hung in conjunction with other Vietnamese priests in Taiwan have founded the Vietnamese Migrant Workers & Brides Office (also known as VMWBO or TaiwanACT) in early 2004 in Taiwan to better serve and assist the Vietnamese workers and brides in distress.

When the issue of human trafficking of Vietnamese women and children gained greater international attention and grassroots momentum, a group of students, young professionals, and community activists came together and made a personal and longterm commitment to take on the fight against human trafficking of Vietnamese women and children. This group of about 20 dedicated people founded the Vietnames Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking also known as VietACT in the United States in August 2004.

As a new and developing organization VietACT works to not only raise awareness but to maintain awareness of human trafficking while initiating campaigns to influence public policy and public opinion to bring out about systematic changes. AS VietACT's mission clearly states: VietACT is a grassroots organization dedicated to eradicating human trafficking of Vietnamese victims through collaboration, advocacy, and education, for the purpose of supporting, protecting and empowering victims. VietACT activites over the course of the last 17 months has been to build an alliance of individuals, community organizations, and NGOS to combat human trafficking.

In late 2004 and 2005, VietACT's major activities include fundraising activities to support the work of Father Peter Nguyen Van Hung and victims services provided by VMWBO/TaiwanACT. VietACT's members and volunteers in Orange County, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Jose, Minneapolis, Houston, Portland, Chicago, and Denver have and continue to actively build awareness, campaign, and fundraise money that are directly allocated to anti-human trafficking organizations such as VMWBO in Taiwan.

Since VietACT was founded, we have organized numerous public awareness campaigns through workshops and presentations at various schools and conferences. VietACT works with various organizations including the Orange Human Trafficking Trafficking Task Force, Vietnamese Professional Society, Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations, Union of Vietnamese Students Associations of Southern California, Denver Vietnamese Women Association, etc.

The Relay Against Human Trafficking kicks off at VIA-1

VietACT members Kim Chi Nguyen and Father Cuong Nguyen speak about human trafficking at VASCON2

UCSD VSA presents a check of $3,100 to VietACT

The May 13th Walk Against Human Trafficking in SoCal