Nguyen Van Anh, CSAGA Director addresses opening speech. (Photo: P.H)
Those were among ideas raised at the conference “Discussion of gender issues in Vietnam communication strategy” held in Hanoi on April 26th by the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) in collaboration with the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam.
Over the past years, Vietnam has recorded diverse achievements in gender equality, which have been recognized by the international public. However, to further increase awareness on gender equality, and change the attitude and ideology on gender inequality, communications play a very important role, according to delegates at the conference.
According to CSAGA, when covering gender issues, Vietnam communications often focus on three approaches, including communicating women’s compromise when they are mistreated or suffer from violence without denouncing the wrongdoing; putting forth evidence on mistreatment of women; and communicating strong objection over gender inequality. Mr Vu Manh Cuong, Deputy Head of the Department on Communications, Emulation and Rewards under the Ministry of Health, said that apart from objection over gender inequality, communications should be flexible in encouraging people to denounce unequal activities, gradually developing a society without gender discrimination, especially against women.
He also stressed the importance of education of boys about respect for women and adequate treatment for women, so that the future generations would be equal in gender and share equal opportunities for development in all socio-economic aspects.
Delegates talk at the conference. (Photo: P.H)
During the conference, the delegates agreed that commercial advertisements could help a lot in increasing social awareness on gender equality. However, some commercial advertisements deliver the image of women who are the ones doing the housework, caring for children and their families, which was said to reveal gender inequality. Meanwhile, a majority of the public could not recognize that they transmitted gender inequality.
To further increase the efficiency of gender issues communications, the delegates suggested that it was necessary to give gender training to commercial advertising companies or their customers, as well as journalists; take advantage of media and multimedia communications to connect with the public and increase interaction on gender issues; honour communications conveying gender equality messages; and focus communications on specific receivers, helping change social attitudes over gender discrimination./.