UK launches media campaign on illegal immigration in Vietnam

On March 25, the British Home Office launched a media campaign on illegal immigration in Vietnam following the success of similar programs in Albania, France and Belgium.

According to a VNA correspondent in London, the media program in Vietnam is the latest step in the UK's international cooperation campaign to address the global migration crisis. Through this program, British authorities want to warn about the risks of illegal entry into the UK and expose the tricks of human trafficking rings. Similar campaigns are also being considered by the British Government in other priority countries.

The programme will use Facebook and YouTube to highlight the dangers faced by migrants trying to reach the UK illegally. The posts will feature real-life accounts from those who have crossed the Channel illegally, as well as Home Office Border Force and Immigration Enforcement officers who regularly come into contact with migrants who have been trafficked into modern slavery or forced into illegal work by those who have brought them into the UK. The posts will also link to a website with videos of Immigration and Border Force officers sharing their experiences of rescuing migrants who have crossed the Channel in danger.

Migrants are escorted by British Border Force officers at the port of Dover while attempting to illegally cross the English Channel into the UK, March 6, 2023. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

UK Home Secretary James Cleverly said that following the success of a media campaign in Albania last year, the UK is expanding the programme to Vietnam - an important partner of the UK in tackling illegal migration - to dismantle criminal networks profiting from human trafficking. On April 17, senior officials from the two countries will meet in London to discuss measures to enhance cooperation on migration issues.

According to the UK Home Office, every year, organised crime gangs smuggle thousands of people from around the world, including Vietnam, to the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats. In 2022-2023 alone, up to 76,000 people arrived in the UK via this route. The number of people who died on this sea journey in 2023 increased threefold compared to the previous year. Many illegal immigrants are forced by traffickers to live in cramped and dangerous conditions, without access to basic sanitation, health care, or the right to work legally.

In December 2022, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a doubling of funding for the National Crime Agency (NCA) to tackle organised crime and immigration. The UK government also introduced new laws on illegal immigration, allowing for the rapid deportation of people without the right to settle in the UK.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc Newspaper

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