Unite to End Violence Against Women’, says UN in Viet Nam

“Changing mindsets and the habits of generations is not easy. It must involve all of us – individuals, organizations and governments. We must work together to state loud and clear, at the highest level, that violence against women will not be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

Although gender equality and freedom from violence are guaranteed under Vietnamese law attitudes which perpetuate inequality and violence continue to persist. According to a study by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2008, o­ne-fifth of couples experienced domestic violence. The study also found that in cases of violence couples rarely ask for help from parents, friends or authorities because of fear of “losing face” or “not wanting to wash o­ne’s dirty linen in public” – thereby perpetuating the silence and shame surrounding this important social issue.

“In recent years, the Government has made progress in promoting gender equality but too many Vietnamese women still experience domestic violence and traditional stereotypes about women and men continue to exist. Violence against women is not simply a women’s issue. It is an issue which concerns all of us – men and women, boys and girls – and the UN Country Team is committed to working with the Government to address the problem,” says John Hendra, UN Resident Coordinator.

Government commitment to gender equality is evident in policies and at the institutional and structural level. In November 2007, the National Assembly passed the Law o­n Domestic Violence Prevention and Control which came into effect in July 2008. This law codifies the State’s accountability to prevent and address domestic violence.

However, the domestic violence law is still relatively new and implementation of it by the Government needs to be further strengthened. This is a key priority area for the UN and in 2009 twelve UN agencies will work together o­n a joint programme with the Government to provide coordinated and multi-sectoral technical assistance to build the capacity of national and provincial duty bearers to better implement the Law o­n Domestic Violence, as well as the Law o­n Gender Equality.

“Under the o­ne UN Initiative, the UN Country Team is now working together as o­ne to combat violence against women. The UN joint programme o­n gender equality will be key to further strengthening the prevention and reduction of domestic violence in Viet Nam”, John Hendra says.