Viet Nam: "Delivering as One" message to end violence against women and girls
Date:
Author: Thao Hoang
In response to the 16 Days of Activism Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls (25 Nov-10 Dec) and the UN Secretary-General UNiTE Campaign, UN staff in Viet Nam, led by UN Women, joined hands to deliver a strong "One UN" message to end gender-based violence in Viet Nam under this year's theme "Leaving No One Behind".
Globally, one in every three women is subjected to violence.
In Viet Nam, according to the National Survey on Domestic Violence conducted in 2010, 58 per cent of ever-married women said that they had experienced at least one form of physical, sexual and emotional violence by an intimate partner, at some point in their lives. But 87 per cent of victims did not seek help due to the lack of available services or out of fear of stigma, discrimination and further harassment.
Since 2012, UN Women and other UN agencies have collaborated with the Government of Viet Nam in organizing the annual joint national 16 Days campaign to raise awareness and action to end violence against women and girls. These campaigns have shown the value of a strong collaboration among ministries, social organizations and development partners.
This year, under the theme "Leaving No One Behind", the UN system-wide staff in Viet Nam including the UN Resident Coordinator and eleven Head of Agencies - comprising ILO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, IOM, UNAIDS, UNESCO, WHO, FAO, UNODC and UN WOMEN, joined the first-ever "Delivering as One" activities to show commitment and support to end all forms of violence against women and girls in Viet Nam.
Pictures of the UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam and Head of Agencies together with their statements to end violence against women from the angle of their agencies' mandate were showcased in social media channels and in the screens at the entrance of the Green One UN House in Viet Nam reaching thousands of people. Messages appealed to protecting and securing the safety of migrant women or the girl child, ensuring adequate health and HIV responses to victims of violence, promoting survivor-center services and access to justice for survivors, and building workplaces and public places free from gender-based violence. Ultimately, messages appealed to accelerating actions to eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls as central to our collective efforts to end poverty, bring prosperity, and ultimately achieve Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in Vietnam.
Moreover, UN Women also localized the UN Women HQ Campaign "Take A Stand" through an "orange bag lunch" to provide information and resources to UN Staff who might experience or have a family member or colleague experiencing an abusive or violent relation. The event got a strong participation of UN Vietnam staff, and a very open discussion about close cases and what to do in those situations. After the event, UN staff were encouraged to share their messages of support to friends, family members and colleagues experiencing abusive relationships in the orange hands which later were used to decorate the Christmas tree in the entrance of the GOUNH.
