Launching the first Directory of organizations and agencies supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse in Viet Nam

[Press release]

The first Directory of organizations and agencies supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse in Viet Nam. Photo: UN Women/Vu Hoang

Ha Noi, Viet Nam — The Gender Equality Department, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and UN Women launched the first ‘Directory of agencies and organizations supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse’.

Developed and completed in six months, the Directory includes the contact information of agencies and organizations supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse in 63 provinces and cities, including central levels. Support services of agencies and organizations in the Directory are assembled based on the UN global joint programme on Essential Services (ESP) for women and girls subject to violence including health care, social services, police and justice sectors, as well as the coordination among those sectors, implemented by United Nations in Viet Nam and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with other line ministries.

This initiative was inspired by joint efforts of UN Women and ILO in Viet Nam to develop a Directory of services to support women migrant workers in the context of COVID-19 as part of a regional project called SAFE and FAIR: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region funded by the European Union.

Gender-based violence, especially violence against women and children is a societal problem and is considered one of the most common forms of human rights violation. According to the National Survey on Violence against Women in Viet Nam in 2019 conducted by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in cooperation with the General Statistics Office (GSO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), nearly 2 out of 3 women (62.9 per cent) have experienced at least one form of physical, sexual, emotional abuse or economic and behavior control in their lifetime, caused by their husband/partner. However, most of them (90.4 per cent) did not seek help from government service providers.

The above data show that many victims do not find timely support, are unsafe, and lack knowledge to deal with violence and abuse. The lack of adequate and accessible information contributes to exacerbate the violence and abuse. Specifically, victims and people in the community do not have systematic information about agencies and organizations that are ready to support and provide services when they need help to stabilize their psychology, health, and to recover.

Mrs. Tran Thi Bich Loan, Deputy Director of the Gender Equality Department, Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs said: “The development and publication of the Directory of agencies and organizations supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse is a meaningful and practical undertaking, meeting the anticipation of the people and the victims of gender-based violence when they need protection and support. At the same time, the Directory aims to build an interdisciplinary coordination network between agencies and units to support and provide services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence from the central to local levels in the coming time”.

Mrs. Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Representative of UN Women in Viet Nam said: “The access and availability of information about the system of agencies, organizations, and units providing support services to victims is an urgently needed to help women and children who have suffered violence or abuse, so they can have easy access and seek help, protection, and support when needed. In situations of violence and abuse, reliable addresses will be a lifeline for the victim. "

For that reason, the ‘Directory of agencies and organizations supporting women and children survivors of gender-based violence and abuse’ was coordinated by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs with UN Women. It is developed with the desire to become a handbook with useful and necessary information for all, especially women and children who have experienced violence.

This activity is part of a joint project in response to violence against women and children in the context of COVID-19, funded by the Australian Government with financial and technical contributions from UN Women, UNFPA and UNICEF.