Debt bondage exists when labourers (sometimes with their families) are forced to work for an employer to pay off their own debts or those they have inherited.
In the case of Vietnamese migrants, a recruiter usually helps the workers to obtain temporary jobs abroad. The recruiter lends the workers money to pay for the upfront recruitment fees and costs.
The recruiter deceives the workers about the nature and/or conditions of the work. The recruiter may also manipulate the debt, including by applying high interest rates.
Once arrived at their new place of work, workers are told that they cannot leave or refuse the work because they must earn the money to repay their debts. The workers are now victims of forced labour.
Victims of debt bondage, if they try to leave their employment, are usually caught, and returned by force.
If you would like to know more about deceptive recruitment, take a look at the ILO’s infostories.