Van Ngoc Ta

A Lawyer for an Australian charity, Van Ngoc Tan works in Vietnam and China to free victims of forced labor and sex trafficking.

A graduate of Brandeis University, Van Ngoc Ta is the Chief Lawyer at the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation based in Hanoi. The organization has been involved in anti-trafficking work since 2005, and Van Ngoc Ta has personally helped over 300 victims of forced labor and sex trafficking. He works closely with both the Chinese and Vietnamese police to rescue victims, and conducts undercover operations with his team in order to identify and locate victims of trafficking. His team provides a comprehensive approach; they identify the victims, assist in reintegration, provide services, help them to testify in court or make statements to the police, and do whatever else they can. His partnerships with the police and other officials have been invaluable for his anti-trafficking work. He continues to spread awareness about this issue through local communities in Vietnam. In 2014, he was given a Hero Acting to End Modern Slavery Award in recognition of his efforts. 

In the 2014 TIP Report, Vietnam was listed as a Tier 2 Country. It is a major source country for both sex trafficking and forced labor. Vietnamese women are trafficked all throughout Southeast Asia, and around the world, for sexual purposes. Vietnamese workers are extremely susceptible to forced labor situations due to unconscionable fees utilized by labor brokers as well. While the government has made forward steps in legislation, and has prosecuted some offenders, understanding of trafficking remains low among the police and officials, and victim identification is poor.