When women in the border region of Nghe An become legal awareness campaigners.
In Thong Thu border commune (Que Phong district, Nghe An province), women's association members not only act as a "bridge" bringing policies and laws to the village, but also form the core force in firmly protecting border sovereignty and security.
Each woman is a propagandist.
Visiting Loc village in Thong Thu border commune (Que Phong district), you can hear the lively sounds of laughter and conversation coming from the community cultural center from afar.
Upon inquiry, the villagers explained that the women had gathered for their regular meeting at the Women and Law Club today.
The meeting focused on providing feedback on amendments and additions to the 2013 Constitution. After being briefed on the purpose, significance, and contents requiring feedback, the women were guided by officials from the Thong Thu Commune Women's Union on how to submit their feedback through the VNeiD application.
Smiling brightly after her phone screen displayed "successful submission," Ms. Vi Thi Dung (59 years old, Thai ethnic group), a member of the Women and Law Club in Loc village, said: Thanks to the awareness campaigns, she has understood that people not only "have the right to know" but also "have the right to discuss" and "have the right to participate" in building the country's supreme legal framework.
She also mentioned that she joined the club from its early days, and thanks to regular updates on new policies and guidelines, the women not only improve their knowledge but also learn to protect themselves and their rights.
Reportedly, the "Women and the Law" Club in Loc village was established in 2010 and has maintained effective operations to this day. The club currently has 65 members and meets regularly every two months.
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Before each meeting, the Women's Union of Thong Thu commune coordinates with the commune's judicial department to provide the Club's Steering Committee with the latest legal documents and texts so that they can be disseminated to the members as quickly as possible. This ensures that each Club member becomes an active communicator in disseminating the Party's policies and the State's laws to women members and the people.
In addition to focused propaganda, distributing leaflets and brochures, or innovating with activities like democratic flower picking and quizzes with prizes related to legal knowledge, the Club's Steering Committee also directly conducts outreach and surveys at households. This is especially true for content related to the Law on Marriage and Family, the Law on Gender Equality, etc.
Through this, timely support has been provided to several women in resolving family problems. A typical example is the case of Ms. Quang Thi Ph. (born in 1984), whose marriage was in conflict because her husband frequently came home drunk, verbally abused, and mentally assaulted her.
Speaking about the effectiveness of the Women's Club model, Mr. Luong Van Huan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thong Thu commune, said: "As a mountainous border commune located in the Northwest of Que Phong district, bordering the Lao People's Democratic Republic with 33.737 km of border, Thong Thu commune has 8 villages and hamlets, and 8 Women's Associations with more than 995 members."
Due to difficult living conditions, both materially and spiritually, and limited awareness and compliance with the law among the people, some female members, women, and citizens are still exploited by unscrupulous individuals to commit illegal acts such as trafficking, transporting, and storing drugs and explosives, illegally smuggling people abroad, and child marriage…
Therefore, along with activities to strengthen legal education and awareness among the people, the Party Committee and the government of Thong Thu commune directed the Women's Union of the commune to coordinate with departments and agencies to establish models, including the "Women and Law" Club in Loc village.
Through club activities, women members' awareness of the law has been increasingly raised, the rate of child marriage has decreased, and women not only protect themselves from "traps" but also become active advocates, contributing to maintaining security and order in the area.
Contributing to maintaining peace on the border.
Along with disseminating legal information, women in Thong Thu commune are also a core force in protecting border sovereignty and security. A notable example is the Women's Club's participation in protecting border sovereignty and security at the Muong Piet Women's Association branch – an area bordering the Nam Tay cluster of villages in Sam To district (Laos).
According to Ms. Vi Thi Tam, President of the Women's Union of Thong Thu commune: Previously, before the establishment of the club, women members in the border village of Muong Piet often went into the forest to harvest bamboo shoots and raise buffalo and cattle. Due to limited awareness, there were cases of violating border regulations.
Therefore, the Women's Union of the commune continues to coordinate with the Thong Thu Border Guard Station to establish a model club called "Women participating in protecting border sovereignty and security".
After its establishment and operation, the Club's Steering Committee and the Women's Union of the commune continued to coordinate with the Thong Thu Border Guard Station to meet with and educate more than 55 women who regularly graze buffalo and cattle and harvest bamboo shoots and forest products across the border, helping them understand and strictly abide by the regulations.
Of these, 25 women applied to join the club and became active members in disseminating information to their relatives and communities about border security and sovereignty.
Ms. Luong Thi Dinh, Head of the Women's Club for Protecting Border Sovereignty and Security in Thong Thu Commune, said: The club holds meetings once a month, focusing on disseminating legal education, enhancing the knowledge of female members on foreign affairs; crime prevention and combating social evils; and protecting territorial sovereignty and national security.
The activities of the Women's Club for Protecting Border Sovereignty and Security are diverse and varied, including seminars, cultural exchanges, competitions in furrow carving and gong playing, volleyball tournaments, and democratic discussions on legal knowledge, thus attracting a large number of female members.
From its initial 30 members, the club has now attracted 65 female members from the villages and hamlets to participate in its activities. As a result, the women members have raised their awareness of complying with border regulations, refraining from encroaching on land or settling illegally, avoiding illegal border crossings, and not grazing livestock in border areas. They actively participate with other forces in clearing border areas and markers, and patrolling and protecting the border.
According to Major Dinh Ngoc Tuyen, Team Leader of the Reconnaissance Team at Thong Thu Border Guard Station: "In the area under our unit's management, men often go away to work, so the women in the villages and hamlets participating in agricultural production in the border-adjacent fields have become the 'eyes and ears' of the Border Guard in protecting border security."
To help women improve their knowledge, during each meeting, the border guard force will coordinate with the Club's Steering Committee to focus on disseminating information about the National Border Law, the Vietnam Border Guard Law, the Law on Drug Prevention and Control, the Law on Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking, the Law on Marriage and Family, the Law on Prevention of Child Marriage, the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, and the tactics and schemes of malicious individuals so that women are not exploited or lured into violating the law.
Since the club was established, the women's awareness of complying with border regulations has been raised; club members also actively cooperate with the Thong Thu Border Guard Station to participate in patrolling the border line and markers, protecting border sovereignty and security, demonstrating the sense of responsibility of citizens towards the Fatherland.
Alongside their awareness-raising efforts, to foster cohesion among members, the "Women and the Law" Club and the "Women Participating in Protecting Border Sovereignty and Security" Club engage in activities such as providing labor, livestock, and revolving fund support to help members develop their businesses and achieve sustainable poverty reduction.
“For disadvantaged villages and hamlets in border areas, 15 million VND in revolving capital is a significant amount of support for many women to invest in livestock farming and production to escape poverty and stabilize their lives. At the same time, it fosters solidarity, mutual support, and sharing, helping women understand the significance of participating in the club model,” shared Ms. Luong Thi Dinh, Head of the Women's Club for Protecting Border Sovereignty and Security.
In addition, the Women's Union of Thong Thu commune also coordinated with the Border Guard Station to call for resources such as the "Accompanying Women in Border Areas" program to support the construction of livelihood models to help women develop their household economy.
A typical example is the family of Ms. Luong Thi Dung, from Muong Piet village, one of the five members who received support for a livelihood model, with initial funding consisting of a pair of breeding pigs worth 5 million VND.
After two years of care, her family now has two sows that supply piglets to people in the area, providing a stable income.
The practical activities of models such as the "Women Participating in Protecting Border Sovereignty and Security" Club and the "Women and the Law" Club have truly become bright spots, contributing to maintaining security and order, and border sovereignty and security in border regions.
At the same time, it affirms the role and "autonomous" position of ethnic minority women in the community.