where stigma and lack of resources have prevented them from speaking out and practicing leadership in the family and community

The voice of women in ethnic minority communities is very limited.

At the seminar "Efforts to empower ethnic minority women - Where are we", held on the evening of October 21 in Hanoi, delegates said that ethnic minority groups, accounting for 14% of the Vietnamese population, are facing structural and informal inequalities. Extensive inherent inequality includes employment and income, education, access to health and reproductive health services, due to remote areas and cultural practices.

Gender inequality with ethnic women, which is part of the social structure mentioned above, also exists at both the family and individual levels, where stigma towards women and the lack of resources have been and are preventing ethnic minority women from speaking up and practicing leadership in their families and communities. The voice of women in the community is very limited. However, the reality and the survey show that, if there is sufficient support and resources, women can not only help themselves but also contribute significantly to the family and the surrounding community.

According to Ha Viet Quan - Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department, Committee for Ethnic Minorities, ethnic minority groups, which make up nearly 14% of the Vietnamese population, are facing structural and informal inequalities. . Extensive inherent inequality includes employment, income, education, access to health services, reproductive health due to remote areas and cultural practices. Gender inequality with ethnic women is part of a social structure that also exists at both the family and individual levels, where discrimination against women and the lack of resources have been hindering ethnic minority women speak up, practice leadership in families and communities; The voice of women in the community is very limited.

Inequality against ethnic minority women is a part of social structure, which exists at both the family and individual level, where stigma and lack of resources have prevented them from speaking out and practicing leadership in the family and community. Photo: Le Anh Dung

However, the reality and the survey show that, if there is sufficient support, resources, women can not only help themselves, but also contribute significantly to their families and the surrounding community. Therefore, among the thousands of social projects that have been carried out for ethnic minorities in recent years, many have identified the main goal of empowering women. Receiving so much attention and investment, how these efforts have achieved their impacts; What aspects of gender equality and empowerment have been implemented, and which need more attention; What is an effective approach to creating a sustainable impact - these are some questions in the overall picture of the empowerment of ethnic minority women in Vietnam. Therefore, the Conference desires to create a space of dialogue and connection among interested organizations and individuals.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Linh, Director of the Center for Community Empowerment (CECEM), said that when it comes to empowering women, many people are still unclear, there are many approaches and perspectives on gender inequality. and women's empowerment. However, gender inequalities in ethnic minority communities have not been effectively addressed as expected due to a lack of understanding of the role of women and gender relations in ethnic minority cultures. For example, with the Capacity Building Project in Dak Nong, in addition to livelihood development, there should be other activities that are most effective for ethnic minority groups such as: understanding the power of the community itself to create opportunity for them to take advantage; impact the beliefs of ethnic minority communities with the slogan "I believe I can"; community initiative ...

The fact and surveys have demonstrated that, if there is sufficient support and resources, women can not only help themselves, but also contribute significantly to the family and the surrounding community. Photo Le Anh Dung

Representatives of ethnic minority groups, Ms. Sung Thi Lan, Head of Muong Hoa Cooperative (Sa Pa, Lao Cai) shared: When it comes to starting a business, I really thought it was a very big problem. many prejudices and hindrances from family and society, but after participating in projects of foreign organizations such as the Center for Supporting Community Service Initiatives (CSIP), I found everything simple. remove barriers of prejudice from families and society ...

In 2017, when participating in CSIP's project, mainly focusing on supporting poor and disadvantaged households, we were consulted by project staff, pointing out our strengths to carry out. implementing projects such as focusing on recycling brocade of black Mong people in Sa Pa (re-using brocade, innovating dresses, bags, belts by dyeing, cutting ...); homestay tourism development model. As a result, the lives of ethnic minority women have been increasingly improved, ensuring livelihoods and sustainable escaping from poverty.

Hoa Binh