An official from the United Nations (UN) has called for people to work together to prevent violence against children and women.

UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka made the appeal while working with the Ministry of Education and Training in Hanoi on March 29.

She warned that 1.2 billion women worldwide are suffering from violence and inequality. Hence, the community should take responsibility to prevent this situation, Phumzile said.

The UN organisations are also actively carrying out a number of programmes enhancing public awareness of the issue, she added.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Nghia highlighted the role of women and said Vietnam is leading Asian nations in the gender equality index as a result of the Party and State’s laws and policies.

The ministry has also integrated gender equality and domestic violence prevention programmes into the teaching curriculum at schools nationwide, which has received support from many international organisations and already sparked success, Nghia noted.

She said such a move should be spread wider in the capital and the country in the coming time.

Hanoi is piloting a programme on building safe schools and promoting the youth’s role in anti-violence against children and women with the participation of around 30,000 students. Around 500,000 are expected to take part in the future.-VNA