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Violence against women in Vietnam remains very much hidden and more actions must be taken to change the situation.

As many as 63% of Vietnamese married women have experienced one or more forms of physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence and controlling behaviors by their husbands in their lifetime, according to a newly-released study.

As many as 63% of Vietnamese married women suffer at least one kind of violence in their lifetime

It means that nearly two in three married women in Vietnam have suffered at least one kind of domestic violence, according to a study that is backed technically and financially by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

This is the second study conducted in Vietnam, making it the only country in the world so far making a study that specifically uses cross-culturally validated methodology developed by the World Health Organization.

Managed by Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in collaboration with the General Statistics Office (GSO), this study enables a better understanding of what has changed since the first study in 2010, as well as what has not, and what needs to be in place for strengthening gender equality and ending gender-based violence in Vietnam.

The 2019 study has three parts: a quantitative survey, conducted by GSO; a qualitative study by the Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP); and an economic costing of violence by international experts commissioned by UNFPA.

Nearly 6,000 women aged 15 to 64 were interviewed, with the results showing that most of the violence against women in Vietnam is perpetrated by their husbands or partners.

The study also shows that with the exception of sexual violence, the prevalence of different types of violence against women, perpetrated by husbands, was slightly lower in 2019 than in 2010, and positive change may be happening among younger women.

In addition, the report estimated that violence against women cost Vietnam an estimated 1.8% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018.

Key findings from the 2019 study

• In Vietnam, women were more likely to be abused by their husbands than by any other perpetrators.

• Nearly one in ten or 9% women experienced non-partner sexual violence since age 15. Almost all of this was perpetrated by males who were not family members (e.g. a male stranger, friend or acquaintance; a recent acquaintance; or someone at work).

• Violence against women remains very much hidden. Half of women who experienced violence by husbands had never told anyone. Almost all women (90.4%) who experienced physical and/or sexual violence from husbands did not seek any help from formal service providers.

• Children are also victims when living in violent environments. Of the women who experienced physical violence by a husband, 61.4% disclosed that their children witnessed or otherwise overheard the violence. Women who experienced physical and/or sexual violence by their husbands were more likely to say their children (5-12 years) had behavioral problems.

• Violence against women has a wide range of health impacts or consequences. One in four women (23.3%) who were physically and/or sexually abused by their husbands had physical injuries. Pregnant women are also at risk of violence from their husbands.

• Violence is a learned behavior. Women victims of violence are more likely to have a husband whose mother was beaten or who was himself beaten as a child.

Remarks on the national study

Nguyen Thi Ha, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) at the event on July 14. Photo: Nhandan

MOLISA’s Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Ha said after nearly ten years since the first survey, the results show both positive changes and shortcomings.

The percentage of women suffering from these forms of violence has decreased slightly and positive change is clearly seen among young women who did not endure and showed their strength in fighting against violence, and women who have higher education are less likely to experience violence.

Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, at the event. Photo: UNFPA

“Ending violence against women and girls is one of the three transformative results that UNFPA has pledged to achieve worldwide,” said Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam.

“In Vietnam, UNFPA has worked alongside the Government and stakeholders for more than a decade towards ending violence against women. Today, we have even more evidence to spur us to even greater action, and I call on everyone to join forces to eliminate this violence. Without addressing this, Vietnam quite simply cannot achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, and ensure no one is left behind,” she added.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie. Photo: Embassy of Australia in Hanoi

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie said “Australia is deeply committed to ending gender-based violence.” “We have supported this study because it leads us all to acknowledge just how many lives are affected by violence, coercive control and harassment. Each piece of data in this report represents the experience of a Vietnamese woman or girl, whether in their home, at work or in a public place. This report means that we hear them, we believe them, and we need to act.”

At the launch of the results, the government of Vietnam, government of Australia, and UNFPA all called for ever more urgent action to end violence against women.

“No matter where violence happens, in what forms, or who it affects, it must be stopped,” concluded UNFPA Representative Naomi Kitahara. “Together, we should work to create a world where both women and men, and girls and boys, can enjoy a life free from violence. We commend Vietnam for its commitment to achieving this vision.”

Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop on opportunities, challenges and solutions to promote the participation of people with disabilities in politics was held in Hanoi on April 15.

Co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and the Centre for Education Promotion and Empowerment of Women ( CEPEW ), the event aimed at enhancing the right to political engagement of people with disabilities in Vietnam where is home to more than 6 million disabled persons.

Speaking at the workshop, Diana Torres , UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Vietnam, said there will be a political gap between non-disabled and disabled people unless the community joins hands to promote equality and empower people with disabilities on political platforms.

Without their voices in agencies under the National Assembly and People’s Councils, the people with disabilities will find it difficult to really integrate into society, she added.

Le Ngoc Hoan, a member of the Blind Association of Lang Son province, who is a self-nominated candidate for the election of deputies to the 15th  National Assembly, said people with disabilities need representative voices in the law-making body so that their legitimate aspirations and needs will be heard.

According to a quick assessment of the group’s readiness for political involvement as candidates in the elections of deputies to the National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils, 92 percent of people surveyed hoped to have disabled deputies and 63 percent said they are ready for self-nomination to the elections in the next five years.

The assessment, jointly conducted by the UNDP Vietnam and the Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, was released as part of the workshop.

It showed three challenges facing the group in elections – feeling unconfident in the possibility of success, lacking knowledge on self-nomination and campaigning, and distrusting that the community will vote for people with disabilities.

Jan Wilhelm Grythe, Chargé d’affaires at the Norwegian Embassy, said the Norwegian Government is willing to share information on the political participation process of Tove Linnea Brandvik, a physically disabled Norwegian who served as deputy to the parliament for two terms from 2005 to 2013.

Norway is also willing to organise conversations to inspire Vietnamese people with disabilities, said the diplomat./.

VNA

Vietnam posts increasingly unbalanced sex ratio at birth at 111.5 male births for every 100 female newborns compared to the world’s normal rate of 105.

Harmful practices for women and girls like gender-biased sex selection and domestic violence continue to remain in Vietnam, requiring instant and persistent actions by the whole society and all stakeholders.

Vietnam and UNFPA have made efforts to increase the value of the girl child. Photo: UNFPA Vietnam

A benign tradition “son preference” which is anything but is a product of gender-biased systems that places higher social status to men and boys, and favors male over female children.

The manifestation of gender biased sex selection can be directly measured through “sex ratio at birth (SRB)” and Vietnam’s rate is the third highest in the world, following China and India.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the unbalanced sex ratio at birth was first identified in Vietnam in 2004. Since 2005, it has rapidly increased and reached 111.5 male births for every 100 female births in 2019 as indicated in the 2019 Population and Housing Census, against the biologically “natural” or “normal” sex ratio between 105 and 106.

Symphony concert “Girls Deserve to Shine” opens at the Hanoi Opera House on November 27. Photo: UNFPA Vietnam

Evidence shows that this demographic imbalance is a result of pre-natal sex selection, which is the termination of pregnancy when the fetus is determined to be female. UNFPA’s State of the World Population Report estimates that every year, 40,800 female births are missing in Vietnam. It means that 40,800 girls are not born every year in Vietnam because they were found to be a girl.

Meanwhile, nearly 2 in 3 women (62.9%) experienced one or more forms of physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence and controlling behaviors by their husbands in their lifetime as indicated in the 2019 National Study on Violence against Women, which was conducted by the government of Vietnam with financial and technical support from UNFPA and the government of Australia.

But seriously, domestic violence is largely hidden in Vietnam. Almost half of women did not tell anyone their status, and all women who experienced physical and/or sexual violence from husbands did not seek any help from formal service providers, largely because of fear of stigma, discrimination and further harassment.

Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam at the concert. Photo: UNFPA Vietnam

“The underlying cause of all these is gender-inequality and under-valuing of girls and women,” Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, said at the first-ever symphony concert “Girls Deserve to Shine” on November 27, which featured promising and outstanding Vietnamese young female soloists.

Organized at the Hanoi Opera House by UNFPA in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, the concert is aimed to appreciate the value of gild child, as equal as to boys.

The concert is the initiative between the government of Vietnam and UNFPA in joining hands to raise public awareness and increase the value of the girl child within the context of addressing domestic violence and gender-biased sex selection in the nation.

The concert was part of the National Action Month on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls and 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

“Each one of us has a unique role and a shared responsibility to address issues that affect us all towards inclusive, equitable and sustainable development in Vietnam,” Ms. Naomi Kitahara said at the opening of the concert.

Sexual violence in conflict becomes more serious in the face of Covid-19.

Conflict-related sexual violence became thorny at an open debate of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on April 14 as all participants took it a critical opportunity to take stock of the issue in order to eradicate the scourge of it.

The open debate, which was hosted by Vietnam, the UNSC President for the month of April, drew attention to the chronic underreporting of wartime sexual violence, especially at a time being compounded by Covid-19 containment measures.

The participants thanked Vietnam for keeping this important topic on the agenda of the Council.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations said the victims should be assisted to access psychological, medical, training and legal services, integrate into the community and seek livelihood sources.

He emphasized the need to take a comprehensive approach to the problem, noting the prevention and full and equal participation of women in decision-making and peace processes, much-needed development assistance, capacity-building, technical support and training.

Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, stressed the need of prevention, saying that “prevention is the best and only cure” to stem the multiple, devastating and enduring consequences faced by survivors of sexual violence in conflict, especially as a brutal tactic of war.

Citing over 2,500 UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 18 countries last year alone, Patten said there was a “chasm between resolutions and reality”.

She mentioned the long litany of battles fought on the bodies of women and girls in Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq, Syria and other places to remind others of what they did to honor their commitments to solving the problem.

The Delegation of the EU to UN said they owe this to all victims and survivors of conflict-related sexual violence who expect us to move urgently from commitments to action.

This thorny issue was mentioned one year ago by the UN Secretary General who called for a cessation of violence both on battlefields and in homes.

The UN latest report shows that sexual and gender-based violence has spiked globally during the Covid-19 crisis and that conflict-related sexual violence remains a cruel and rampant tactic of war, torture, terror, and political repression.

Representatives of the countries in the Council expressed concerns about the persisting threat and occurrence of sexual violence in conflict in many countries and called on the international community to do more and better to prevent these crimes and human rights violations, stop impunity and support the survivors and their families including children born out of rape.