Campaign spreads message of zero tolerance for violence against children, women

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), in collaboration with UN agencies and the Australian Aid, launched a campaign on July 5 to enhance public awareness of women and children protection, spreading the message of zero tolerance for violence against children and women.

The initiative is built on the 2020 campaign to raise public awareness and change individual and societal behaviour, helping prevent violence before it begins.

According to the organisers, the campaign calls for attention and support from the whole community to create a violence-free environment in families, schools and community as well as on cyber space.

Addressing the launching ceremony, UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers said that the campaign calls on citizens, lawmakers and the Government to speak out more strongly against violence. It is hoped to turn public outrage over acts of violence into constructive efforts to change the lives of children and women, she stressed.

Elisa Fernandez Saenz, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, underlined the responsibility of every person to speak up, seek or provide support when witnessing violence against children and women.

According to the UN, globally, each year, one billion children experience violence in various forms. The survey on Sustainable Development Goals indicators on children and women in Vietnam for the 2020-2021 period showed that more than 72% of children between the ages of 10 and 14 experienced violent discipline. In which, 39% of children suffered from mental violence, 47% from physical abuse, 20% from sexual abuse, and 29% from neglect. Meanwhile, a research revealed that 21.4% of adolescent girls and 7.9% of adolescent boys reported having had suicidal thoughts. Another study found that 5.8 percent of adolescents reported having attempted suicide.

A survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam said that in 2019, 62.9% of women in Vietnam experienced one or more forms of violence in their lifetime such as physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence, as well as controlling behaviour by the husband. In addition, violence against women resulted in a deficit of 1.81% of the country's GDP.

MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Ha said that the Vietnamese Government has worked hard to end violence against women and children, with special attention to negative impacts from COVID-19 on the people.

However, violence has still happened and the problem can only be solved with joint efforts of all members in the society, organisations and authorised agencies, she stressed.

UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said that in Vietnam, the model of one-stop service centre to support victims of gender-based violence called “Ngoi nha Anh Duong” has been set up, providing essential and comprehensive services to people suffering from gender-based violence, including health, social, justice and protection services. The model is one of the visible results of UNFPA efforts towards zero gender-based violence and harmful behaviours, she added./.