The results of the first national study into domestic violence against
women in Vietnam were jointly announced by the General Statistics
Office (GSO) and the United Nations in Hanoi on Nov. 25.
The study says the majority of Vietnamese married women face the risk
of domestic violence, despite the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on
the Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence which were passed in
2006 and 2007, respectively.
Fifty-eight percent of
Vietnamese married women report experiencing at least one type of
domestic violence (physical, sexual or emotional) in their lifetime and
only 1.7-6.3 percent of them asked for help at different agencies and
organizations.
The study also revealed that 26
percent of women who were physically or sexually abused by their
husbands reported suffering physical injuries and 17 percent of them
reported being injured multiple times.
Addressing
the launching ceremony, GSO Deputy General Director Tran Thi Hang said
that for the first time a study seeks to obtain detailed information
nationwide about the prevalence, frequency and type of violence against
women, looking at the health outcomes of domestic violence, the factors
that may protect or put women at risk of domestic violence and coping
strategies and services that women can use to deal with domestic
violence.
This information will help the Government
and relevant agencies work out effective solutions to better implement
the two above-mentioned laws, said Hang.
Representative
of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Vietnam Jean Marc Olive
highlighted the quality of the study, affirming that, “This is a huge
step forward in our efforts to prevent and end domestic violence – and
to strengthen services and support to affected women.”
Domestic violence was a national tragedy and we all pay the price of
domestic violence, said Jean Marc Olive. “The cost of health care, legal
services, lost days at school and at work, damage to property and
family breakdown, together with the immeasurable cost to the women
affected, impose an enormous burden on families, communities and society
as a whole. In the US , the cost of domestic violence is estimated
at 5.8 billion USD annually,” he said.
Deputy Spanish
Ambassador to Vietnam Alberto Virella said that the report of the study
was only the first effective tool for policymakers and lawyers as they
take drastic and immediate action against all types of domestic violence
in Vietnam .
However, he said, the victims and
women in general should recognize their basic right to speak out against
violent partners.
The ceremony would like to convey a message to all Vietnamese women: “Keeping silent is dying”./.