Vietnamese students joined the global call to end violence against women and girls
Date:
Author(s): Thao Hoang and Phuong Le
Hanoi - More than one thousand and four hundred students in Viet Nam broke into dance in a student-led event in Hanoi, joining the global call to end violence against women and girls.
On the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, 21 students of Youth leaders Club at Cao Ba Quat school, a high school in the suburb of Ha Noi, oranged the stage with animated and inspiring performances on what they understand to be the cause and consequences of gender-based violence at schools. Some of them acted out scenes of physical and psychological bullying targeting classmates because of their gender identity, the effect of domestic violence that they witness at home, and the impact of violence that girls face outside of school that stigmatize them at school. This event organized to promote non-violent and respectful relationships was one of 43 activities of the Joint Government and United Nations Communication Campaign in Viet Nam to commemorate the Global 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women.
“Through music, dancing, fashion shows and role-plays performances, we (members of youth leaders club) want to raise awareness of our schoolmates, teachers and parents on effects of abuse and sexual discrimination. It not only affects us physically, but also it has affected our learning, life and our future.” said Tuan, a 17-year-old boy in class 11A1, a member of the club.
Gender-based violence has been identified as a major problem in Viet Nam, one of the main barriers to empowering girls and achieving gender equality. The National Study on Domestic Violence against Women in Viet Nam from 2010 shows that a third of ever-married women have experienced physical violence at some point in their lives. If sexual violence and emotional abuse are added, the figure climbs to 58 per cent. While the country has adopted the Law on Controlling and Preventing Domestic Violence, son preference, gender stereotypes, lack of knowledge on causes and effects of gender-based violence, and impunity are top challenges to address the issue.
For many children in Viet Nam, school is not a safe space for learning but a place where they are forced to deal with threats of different types of School related Gender based violence such as bullying, harassment, assault and even rape. In a recent baseline survey of Plan International in Viet Nam (March 2014) with 3000 students of 30 schools in Ha Noi, 78% students reported having experienced GBV at schools.
“The kids’ performances are fantastic and meaningful. I didn’t know that children who have witnessed or suffered from gender-based violence at home are more likely to become victims or abusers later in life. It’s shocking that this problem is actually so close to home” said Phuong, 43 years old, one of parents attending the event.
“Sustainable prevention of GBV relies on facilitating young people’s critical understanding of power, gender roles, attitudes and behavioural patterns, as well as working with those youth that are already challenging prevalent gender norms. Young people themselves are the best advocates for gender equality and promoting changes in practices and attitudes. Therefore, by creating platform like today’s school communication event will enable changes in student attitudes towards gender roles and the various forms of violence and in school settings ” said Le Quynh Lan, Hanoi Program Unit Manager, Plan Viet Nam.
“Our aspiration is to have this model adopted for the whole city of Hanoi” said Shoko Ishikawa, Country Representative of UN Women in Viet Nam.
“We have to take action together. Let’s join hands to end gender-based violence” Tuan and his friends in the club called the participation of all people before the dancing music started. Phuong and all students, Ha Noi’s Department of Education and Training leaders, teachers and parents responded to their call by actively joining the flash mob dance at the end of the event.
The Youth Leader Club is an initiative of the project “Gender Responsive School Model” implemented by Plan International Viet Nam in collaboration with Ha Noi Department of Education and Training under the sponsorship of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, Plan in France and Finland. The project is being implementing in 20 lower secondary and secondary schools in Hanoi.