The US government has provided more than 5.35 billion kip (US$655,700) to launch a project on preventing and strengthening the victims and people at risk for human trafficking in Laos, through the Village Focus International NGO.
The project center is located at Phonpapao village, Sisattanak district, Vientiane; but the assistance will be open for the whole country, and will begin on the date of approval until December, 2018.
The memorandum of understanding signing ceremony took place yesterday in Vientiane, between the Director General of the Social Welfare Department from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Prasong Vongkhamchanh and Director of Village Focus International in Laos, Mr Rechard Lee Reece.
The Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Ms Baykham Khattiya and officials from concerned ministries witnessed the ceremony. The main focus of the project is to operate a rehabilitation centre in Vientiane for assisting and rehabilitating the victims and people at risk for trafficking in the country and for Lao people who have been trafficked to other countries.
The second focus is to assist the victims and people at risk for human trafficking to reintegrate into society, providing them education, vocational training and finding suitable jobs.
The third focus is to provide capacity building to government counterparts and the project staff on assisting and protecting the trafficking survivors and the people at risk of being trafficked.
Source: Vientiane Times
