The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) has joined with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (SAICD) to launch a project on reducing domestic violence.

Addressing the launching ceremony in Hanoi on March 15, VWU President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa said that the union has defined domestic violence prevention and control as an important task and that it has been actively implemented.

Nationwide, the union has organised many activities at the community level, including assisting women in legal petition, encouraging women to join the union’s programmes, and working with the police to intervene in specific cases of domestic violence, she added.

SAICD chief representative Benito Alvarez Fernadez emphasised his wish to combat domestic violence and develop a comprehensive approach to gender equality in Vietnam .

The first phase of the two-year project will be carried out in two communes of two districts each in the northern province of Bac Ninh, the central coast city of Da Nang, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

The project will help boost the knowledge and skills of VWU workers in effectively managing financial sources and raising community awareness of the laws on domestic violence prevention and control.

The project will compile and update a list of agencies to assist victims of domestic violence as well as mobilise individuals and organisations to be reliable advocates for such victims./.