At the workshop (Source: vovgiaothong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop was held on December 7 in Hanoi to enhance legal understanding among women and facilitate their access to legal assistance.
The event was organised by the UN Women Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
In her opening remarks, Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in Vietnam, said that the revision of the Law on Legal Aid has enhanced access to legal aid services for Vietnamese women.
Director of the Legal Aid Bureau under the Ministry of Justice Nguyen Thi Minh said the 2013 Constitution has ensured women’s legitimate right to legal aid access– particularly those who are victims of domestic violence or human trafficking.
Relevant bodies have implemented numerous programmes to provide legal assistance for women and children affected by domestic violence and human trafficking, Minh said.
However, the legal framework on the field needs to be revised, Minh added.
Tran Nguyen Tu from the bureau highlighted shortcomings in the current framework. There was low awareness of legal rights among female domestic-violence victims, and a lack of skills in legal aid staff, Tu said.
Meanwhile, Dao Le Thu from Hanoi Law University stressed the need to expand the scope of legal aid beneficiaries, covering near-poor households and women who are victims of gender violence.
She also suggested finances be mobilised from various sources to fund staff training sessions.
Participants emphasised that Vietnam should apply international standards on legal aid and learn from international projects in the sector.-VNA
