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”./.