Assessment of the situation of women in the criminal justice system in Viet Nam

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Author(s)/editor(s)
UNODC and UN Women

Over the past few decades, Viet Nam has made significant strides in improving its legislative framework to advance gender equality. The 2006 Law on Gender Equality illustrated the government’s commitment to advance this issue, and subsequent policies and laws have contributed to the promotion of women’s rights. However, women continue to face challenges in many areas of society, including the criminal justice system. Whether they experience violence, perpetrators of crimes, or criminal justice workers, women face a patriarchal system laden with gender stereotypes. In order to contribute to the growing volume of research on gender in Viet Nam, the United Nations in Viet Nam undertook an assessment process to research the role of women in the criminal justice system and identify areas for improvement.

The assessment was based on a desk review of available documents and interviews with stakeholders during a mission visit to Ha Noi, Viet Nam, led by staff from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Viet Nam, as well as international and national consultants from UNODC and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). As the product of this assessment, this report focuses on three general areas: women who have experienced violence, women in conflict with the law, and women working in the criminal justice system. Each chapter provides an overview of the current situation and the normative framework before analyzing the available data and providing a series of high‐level recommendations for policy‐makers in Viet Nam. All three areas of research identified the need for improved implementation and monitoring and evaluation of existing laws and policies on VAW, as well as further research and analysis to develop evidence‐based, gender‐sensitive policies and programmes.

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Bibliographic information

Geographic coverage: Viet Nam
Resource type(s): Assessments
UN Women office publishing: Asia and the Pacific
Publication year
2013
Number of pages
92