Joint Circular No. 116/2007/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH guiding the content and expenditure for the work of verifying, receiving, and supporting women and children repatriated from abroad to reintegrate into the community according to Decision No. 17/2007/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines on the content and amount of expenditure for verification, reception

and support for women and children repatriated from abroad due to trafficking to reintegrate into society

pursuant to Decision No. 17/2007/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister

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Based on Decree No. 86/2002/NĐ-CP dated November 5, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

Based on Decision No. 130/2004/QD-TTg dated July 14, 2004 of the Prime Minister approving the Action Program to prevent and combat trafficking in women and children from 2004 to 2010;

Based on Decision No. 17/2007/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister approving the Regulation on Reception and Support for Reintegration into Society for Women and Children Repatriated from Abroad Due to Trafficking.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs jointly issue guidelines on the content and amount of expenditure for verification, reception, and support for women and children repatriated from abroad due to trafficking (hereinafter referred to as victims) as follows:

I. SCOPE OF APPLICATION AND SUPPORT OBJECTS

1. This Circular guides the content and amount of expenditure for verification, reception, and support for women and children repatriated from abroad due to trafficking according to Decision No. 17/2007/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister.

2. The beneficiaries of the support regime prescribed in this Circular include:

a) Women and children identified by competent authorities (Police, Border Guard, Foreign Affairs) as victims repatriated from abroad due to trafficking.

b) Children of victims repatriated from abroad due to trafficking who hold Vietnamese citizenship.

II. CONTENT OF EXPENDITURE

1. Expenditure for verification and reception activities of victims:

a) Expenditure for information exchange between Vietnamese and foreign authorities.

b) Expenditure for organizing inter-sectoral conferences, seminars, and training sessions to coordinate the assessment, inspection, and verification of information about victims among agencies responsible for victim reception and support.

c) Expenditure for verifying victims and establishing support files for victims.

d) Expenditure for reception, interviewing, and classifying victims.

e) Expenditure for office supplies, printing, postal fees, and communication charges.

g) Expenditure for statistical surveys, database construction, and management regarding victims.

2. Expenditure to ensure the operation of reception facilities (hereinafter referred to as reception facilities):

a) Expenditure for purchasing utensils for daily living, eating, bathing, and laundry for victims.

b) Expenditure for counseling and initial information collection about victims.

c) Essential drug stock for treating common illnesses.

d) Expenditure for daily living expenses of victims.

e) Expenditure for transportation and food allowances for transporting victims back to support facilities and their families.

3. Expenditure to ensure the operation of support facilities (hereinafter referred to as support facilities):

a) Expenditure for constructing, upgrading infrastructure; purchasing, repairing equipment, and facilities.

b) Expenditure to ensure the operation of the support facility's administrative machinery.

c) Expenditure for counseling, education, healthcare, and vocational guidance activities at support facilities.

d) Expenditure for transportation and food allowances for victims returning home; costs for welcoming the families of victims at support facilities.

4. Expenditure for supporting victims at reception facilities, support facilities, and in the community (as specified in Articles 16 to 23 of Chapter IV of the Regulation on Reception and Support for Reintegration into Society for Women and Children Repatriated from Abroad Due to Trafficking issued with Decision No. 17/2007/QD-TTg dated January 29, 2007 of the Prime Minister).

III. AMOUNT OF EXPENDITURE

1. The expenditures for verification, reception of victims, and ensuring the operation of reception and support facilities shall be implemented in accordance with current regulations, standards, and budgetary norms, specifically as follows:

a) For travel expenses for domestic staff on official business, the expenditure for organizing conferences, seminars, and training sessions shall be carried out in accordance with Circular No. 23/2007/TT-BTC dated March 21, 2007 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating the expenditure regulations for organizing conferences for state agencies and public service units.

b) Direct information exchange expenditure between Vietnamese and foreign authorities shall be implemented in accordance with Circular No. 91/2005/TT-BTC dated October 18, 2005 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating travel expense regulations for civil servants on short-term missions abroad funded by the state budget; if foreign delegations visit Vietnam, it shall be implemented in accordance with Circular No. 57/2007/TT-BTC dated June 11, 2007 of the Ministry of Finance stipulating regulations on expenditure for receiving foreign guests visiting Vietnam, organizing international conferences, and hosting guests within the country.

c) Expenditure for verifying victims and establishing support files for victims at a rate of 100,000 VND per file.

d) For expenditure on victim investigation and statistics (including regular and irregular investigations); expenditure for building and managing a victim database shall be implemented in accordance with current regulations on managing funds for investigations and the cost of creating electronic information under information technology.

e) For expenditure on constructing infrastructure; purchasing equipment and facilities; maintenance, repair, and upgrade of infrastructure, equipment, and facilities; expenditure to ensure the operation of the support facility's administrative machinery shall be implemented in accordance with current state regulations.

g) For other expenditures such as purchasing office supplies, printing, postal fees, communication charges; expenditure for counseling, education, vocational guidance; purchasing essential drug stocks..., the basis for preparing budgets and managing them is the state-prescribed systems, norms, and unit prices of relevant sectors with similar work. These expenditure items must be approved by the head of the unit before implementation.

2. Support for victims at reception facilities and support facilities:

a) Victims, after being received at reception facilities or support facilities, will be considered for a one-time allowance for necessary clothing and personal items. The expenditure amount is based on the actual prices in each locality but not exceeding 130,000 VND per person.

b) Female hygiene allowance at a rate of 10,000 VND per person per month.

c) Food allowance at a rate of 10,000 VND per person per day.

d) During the period of residence at the reception facility or support facility, if the victim falls ill and requires treatment to recover their health, they shall be considered for support in medical examination fees and medication costs; in cases where the victim contracts a serious illness that exceeds the treatment capacity of the facility and must be transferred to a state hospital for treatment, the expenses for medical examinations, medications, and hospitalization during the stay shall be reviewed for support by the head of the reception facility or support facility. The maximum amount does not exceed 1,000,000 VND/person/per treatment session.

e) In cases where the victim dies during the period of residence at the reception facility or support facility, after the conclusion of the relevant authorities, if within 24 hours the relatives cannot arrive in time or do not have the conditions for burial, the head of the reception facility or support facility shall be responsible for organizing the funeral. The funeral expense is 2,000,000 VND/person.

g) Subsistence allowance for meals during travel: 20,000 VND/person/day, with a maximum duration of up to 5 days.

h) The level of support for train and bus fares is calculated based on the actual distance traveled and the fare of public transportation means. The reception facility and support facility are responsible for purchasing tickets for the victim.

In cases where the victim is a child and there are no relatives to pick them up, the support facility shall arrange for staff to escort the child back to their place of residence or contact the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs in the area where the child resides to receive them.

3. The level of support provided to victims during the waiting period for repatriation shall be guaranteed by the Vietnamese representative agency abroad and includes:

a) Airfare, train, or bus ticket purchase costs (purchased and issued to the victim by the Vietnamese representative agency abroad) according to the fare of regular public transportation means.

b) Food and accommodation expenses for the victim: applying the minimum living allowance stipulated in Point 2, Part II, Circular No. 29/2006/TTLT-BNG-BNV-BTC-BLDTBXH dated November 8, 2006, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs guiding the implementation of Decree No. 157/2005/NĐ-CP dated December 23, 2005, of the Government regarding certain allowances for officials and civil servants serving terms at Vietnamese agencies abroad.

c) During the waiting period for repatriation, if the victim falls ill and requires treatment at local hospitals, the Vietnamese agency abroad shall compile the expenses incurred, along with necessary documentation as prescribed, to review and support payment for each specific case.

In cases where the victim dies, the Vietnamese representative agency abroad shall review and provide support for funeral expenses or the cost of transporting the victim's remains back home according to the actual shipping rates, with the most economical cost.

4. The level of support for reintegration into the community:

a) If the victim belongs to a poor household (according to the poverty standard issued by the Prime Minister at different times) or has particularly difficult family circumstances (confirmed by the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune), they may be considered for initial hardship assistance with a minimum amount of 750,000 VND/person.

b) If the victim has a need to learn a trade, they may be considered for funding for vocational training once, with an amount of 500,000 VND/person/training course.

c) Victims who are children or the children of victims trafficked from abroad returning with their mothers, if continuing their education, will be supported in purchasing textbooks and learning materials for the first year. The level of support is decided by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee or the Municipal People's Committee directly under the Central Government, similar to the support given to poor children.

IV. PROCEDURES FOR PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR REINTEGRATION INTO THE COMMUNITY

1. Procedures for providing support for victims' reintegration into the community:

To receive the support for reintegration into the community as stipulated in Section 4, Part III of this Circular, within twelve months from the date of issuance of the Certificate of Return (issued by the competent authority), families with child victims or the victims themselves must submit an application form to the People's Committee of the commune (Form 01). The application for support must include confirmation from the village chief, village head, or neighborhood group leader where the victim resides (accompanied by the Certificate of Return).

Based on the application, the People's Committee of the commune reviews and prepares a support application file (Form 02) to send to the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs of the district.

The Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs of the district compiles and reviews the file and submits a request document (with the attached file) to the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

Based on the application and supporting documents, the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs examines and decides on the provision of support to the victim according to the prescribed regulations.

2. For victims who return independently without going through reception, the People's Committee of the commune, after reviewing and finding evidence indicating that the person is a victim, shall simultaneously process the application for support (as stipulated in Point 1, Part IV of this Circular) and the procedures for verifying and identifying the victim according to current regulations.

V. IMPLEMENTATION

1. The preparation of budgets, management, distribution, settlement, and final accounting of funds for the reception, verification, and support of victims shall be carried out in accordance with the State Budget Law and the implementing regulations of the State Budget Law.

2. In cases where victims returning to the country are financially supported by foreign countries or international organizations, they shall enjoy benefits according to the agreements made with those foreign countries or international organizations.

3. This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

4. During the implementation process, if there are any difficulties, please promptly report to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs for consideration and appropriate amendments./.