Thousands of women and children have improved awareness of gender-based violence

Also attending were Ms. Tran Thi Bich Loan - Deputy Director of the Department of Gender Equality - Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Ms. Giang Thi Thu Thuy - Director of Hagar International Organization in Vietnam, representatives of the Women's Unions of Nghe An and Yen Bai provinces; representatives of relevant departments, agencies and sectors. Photo: My Ha

The project "Improving the capacity of officials and public awareness to improve access to support services for women and children affected by gender-based violence" has been implemented since 2020 in 4 communes of Quynh Thang and Quynh Luong (Quynh Luu district - Nghe An) and Binh Thuan and Minh An communes (Van Chan district - Yen Bai).

Through this, the aim is to help 100% of women and children who have experienced violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking in the project area increase their access to multi-sectoral support services based on trauma-informed understanding for healing and recovery.

Ms. Tran Thi Bich Loan - Deputy Director of Gender Equality Department - Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs spoke at the workshop. Photo: My Ha

At the same time, help improve community awareness and attitudes about violence against women and children through communication campaigns in communities and schools.

Regarding the issue of gender-based violence, the 2019 National Survey Report on Violence Against Women and Children in Vietnam showed that 63% had experienced one or more forms of violence.

In Nghe An alone, nearly 8,400 cases of domestic violence from 2010-2020 were detected and handled.

The project has brought many positive results after 3 years of implementation. Photo: My Ha

To prevent and respond to gender-based violence, the project has implemented a communication strategy with many different topics and forms. In Nghe An, the project has implemented 08 campaigns and 3 communication events on preventing sexual abuse, attracting thousands of people and students to participate.

In addition, more than 50 thousand publications and 12 radio programs on gender-based violence prevention were broadcast to all people in the project area.

Especially during the complicated Covid-19 pandemic, the project has supported 800 social security packages for women and children at risk of gender-based violence affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and supported the construction of a hand-washing sink system for students at Quynh Thang Secondary School.

A skit about gender violence performed by members of the Nghe An Women's Union. Photo: My Ha

At the end of the project, knowledge about gender, gender-based violence and related laws of local people and officials in the four project communes had positive changes. Gender inequality perceptions showed signs of reduction; people were better able to identify acts of violence as well as perpetrators; awareness of the causes and consequences of violence against women and children also improved.

In particular, the reality of violence against women and children who have suffered at least one act of gender-based violence has decreased significantly from 57.6% to 23%; 97.1% of victims of violence know who to turn to or where to go for help. After implementing the project, 900 people affected by violence have received support, 80% of officials have improved their knowledge, 200,000 people have improved their attitudes and awareness of gender-based violence...

Delegates learn about gender-based violence. Photo: My Ha

Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Tran Thi Bich Loan - Deputy Director of the Department of Gender Equality - Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs highly appreciated the effectiveness of the project.

In the coming time, for the project to be effective, it is necessary to continue to maintain and expand the models and expand the model of the One-Stop Service Center to support victims of gender-based violence.

In addition, it is necessary to continue to maintain the activities and promote the effectiveness of the rapid response teams and officers in charge of this issue at the local level. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the development of household economy in parallel with communication and support to resolve violence against women and children.

Delegates from Nghe An and Yen Bai provinces took souvenir photos at the project summary workshop. Photo: My Ha

The representative of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs also said that there are still many prejudices about gender equality and therefore the issue of gender violence is still very latent, causing harm to women and children. Meanwhile, the mechanism and synchronous participation of departments and branches are not really good, leading to many cases not being detected.

Therefore, in the coming time, it is necessary to improve institutions and policies on gender violence and gender equality. In addition, there should be regulations on receiving information and victims of violence, avoiding discrimination. Continue to improve the effectiveness of communication work, targeting vulnerable groups; suitable for each region, area, customs, habits, age and gender.