Ho Chi Minh City event pinpoints obstacles to cooperation on transnational crime　

HCMULAW Rector Dr. Le Truong Son speaks at the event [Photo/VNA]

HCM City (VNA) - More than 40 papers on human trafficking, child exploitation, corruption, drug trafficking, corporate crime, money laundering, cybercrime and international extradition were presented at a two-day international conference that began in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on November 27.

The event is co-organized by New Zealand's University of Canterbury School of Law, the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law (HCMULAW), and the Transnational Criminal Law Review at Canada's University of Windsor.

In his opening speech, HCMULAW Rector Dr. Le Truong Son said the event would pinpoint obstacles to mutual legal assistance, extradition, and enforcement of international law, while supporting legal reform across the Asia-Pacific. It also offers an opportunity to advance knowledge sharing, foster international cooperation, and build a network of scholars and experts capable of mounting more effective responses to transnational crime.

A session on human trafficking heard Prof. Andreas Schloenhardt from the University of Queensland's School of Criminal Law dissect the blurred boundary between migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons. He flagged an inconsistent interpretation of the non-punishment principle for victims, which creates significant challenges in protecting the rights of exploited individuals. Although the two acts have different legal characteristics, in practice they often overlap and are difficult to distinguish, especially in cases where the smuggling of migrants becomes a precursor to subsequent exploitation.

Dr Anna Głogowska-Balcerzak from the Faculty of Law and Administration, Department of Public International Law and International Relations at Poland’s University of Łódź outlined ASEAN-EU joint efforts against human trafficking and called for expanded programmes such as the "Safe and Fair" initiative and larger Interpol-led operations.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa from HCMULAW suggested amendments to several regulations of the Penal Code and clearer delineation of applicable offences to sharpen anti-trafficking enforcement.

Over the two days, participants from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, the EU and ASEAN member states tackled theoretical and practical challenges, including the distinction between illegal migration and trafficking, ASEAN-EU collaboration, commercial surrogacy and child exploitation prevention.

Delegates floated proposals ranging from an ASEAN-wide legal cooperation convention and enhanced mutual legal assistance in child abuse cases to removing hurdles to establishing an international anti-corruption court, reforming drug law, expanding corporate criminal liability and incorporating the revised Kyoto Convention into domestic law.

Other recommendations highlighted the role of lawyers in anti-money laundering efforts, the need to weave cultural considerations into asset recovery processes, overcoming obstacles to legal cooperation within ASEAN, new cybercrime toolkits, organized crime index, cross-border data access and the practical impact of the recently adopted UN Convention against Cybercrime.