Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy recently signed a document addressed to the Ministry of Justice, detailing the policy impact assessment for the draft decree on the Database on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control.

The report highlights that domestic violence remains a persistent issue in Vietnamese society, eroding values and destroying family happiness. Despite ongoing efforts, significant discrepancies exist in data collection and reporting on domestic violence prevention, with notable differences between statistics from the cultural sector and those from judicial and investigative bodies.

Due to the manual compilation process involving multiple reporting steps, the accuracy of the data is often compromised. Additionally, multiple agencies gather statistics without interconnected systems, leading to wasted resources, duplication, and a lack of comprehensive data on the current state of domestic violence.

In 2012, Vietnam conducted its first comprehensive study to calculate the economic losses caused by domestic violence. The study found that domestic violence against women alone resulted in an economic loss estimated at 1.78% of GDP. By 2019, the second national survey on violence against women estimated that domestic violence caused an economic loss of 1.81% of GDP, marking a slight increase.

The 2020 survey results revealed that over 90% of women subjected to domestic violence did not seek support from organizations, unions, or local authorities, indicating a lack of trust in the protection and support systems available to them.

Currently, the process of collecting, compiling, analyzing, and reporting data on domestic violence from the village to the central level incurs significant labor costs, excluding printing and postal costs.

In its report to the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism emphasized the urgent need for digital transformation in building, updating, maintaining, managing, and using the Database on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control to reduce these costs.

"Domestic violence caused an economic loss of 1.81% of GDP in 2019, equivalent to over VND 100 trillion annually. Improving the effectiveness of domestic violence prevention and control will help reduce the incidence of domestic violence, thereby minimizing economic losses. Additionally, digitizing domestic violence data from creation to maintenance, management, and use will reduce costs associated with printing, labor, and reporting, thereby contributing to cost savings and environmental protection," the Ministry stated.

This solution offers significant social benefits compared to the initial investment costs, creating a breakthrough in domestic violence prevention in Vietnam and establishing a solid and long-lasting foundation for this work in the coming years.

Tinh Le