A campaign calling for an end to violence against women was launched in Hanoi on November 22.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai said the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control has been in force for five years, creating a legal foundation for dealing with gender inequality and domestic violence in Vietnam .

She said she hopes the campaign, which will run until December 10, will help raise the awareness of the community, especially men, so that the country can make progress in the fight against domestic violence.

The committee will make every effort to create an equal and advanced environment for women and children, she said.

Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Union Tran Thi Huong pledged that the union will implement anti-domestic violence programmes effectively.

UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam Pratibha Mehta affirmed that the elimination of violence against women and children cannot be successful without the involvement of men.

The UN commits to further cooperating with Vietnam to ensure that women and children are empowered to raise their voice, she said.

According to statistics, in Vietnam in 2010, 58 percent of women suffered from either mental, physical or sexual violence.

In response to International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a poster exhibition with a gender equality theme was held in Hanoi the same day.-VNA