A survey on violence against women in Viet Nam will be conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Students join in a campaign to eliminate violence against women and girls initiated by UNFPA. — Photo courtesy of UN Women

The survey is intended to provide data for the investigation of domestic violence and to find solutions to the issue.  

The information was released at the launch workshop of the second national survey on “Women’s health and life experience” co-hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Thursday in Hanoi.

The survey will be carried out by the GSO from March 2018. Meanwhile, MoLISA will be responsible for coordinating the process, publishing the survey’s results in 2019 and building national programmes and policies on violence against Vietnamese women and girls.

According to the first national survey on violence against women conducted in 2010 by GSO, 58 per cent of married Vietnamese women, aged from 18 to 60, experienced violence at least once in their lives. However, 87 per cent of domestic violence victims did not seek the assistance of public services. The survey suggested that violence against Vietnamese women was an alarming issue.

Viet Nam, however, has witnessed significant improvements in archiving targets towards gender equality. The national legal framework for gender equality has also improved markedly. However, violence against women and girls remains high and has not been resolved effectively, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Speaking at the event, Pham Ngoc Tien, head of Department of Gender Equality under MoLISA, stressed upon the significance of surveys and data in consolidation with the legal system to offer appropriate policies and solutions on women’s issues.

Astrid Bant, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam, hoped that the survey would provide updated data and efforts taken to prevent violence against women and girls in the past 10 years.

“We should collaborate towards a society in Viet Nam where no woman has to live in fear. All women have to be treated fairly and respectfully,” she said. — VNS