Workshop talks safe space for women, children

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam should consider ratifying international commitments on the elimination of violence against migrant women, Elisa Fernandez, head of the UN Women’s Office in Vietnam, has said.

Speaking at a workshop on the safe space for women and children in Hanoi on June 24, the UN official suggested Vietnam approve such international documents as the International Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrants and Members of their Families adopted in 1990 and the Domestic Workers Convention in 2011.

Besides, Vietnam should build and implement policies and plans on labour, migration and responsible social sponsorship, she said.

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union, said the workshop allows policy makers, State managers, researchers and social workers to look into unsafe areas for women and children as well as the root cause of the problem, and identify major issues in policy making to protect the groups effectively.

Statistics show that in 2018, 8,056 women have fallen victims to domestic violence, making up 85.14 percent of the total.

According to the UN Women, 34.4 percent of Vietnamese women suffered from sexual violence, ranking second in Southeast Asia.

Also in 2018, 1,579 children were abused and more than 2,000 school violence cases were detected in the same year.

Ha said although Vietnam has devised a range of programmes, policies and models to protect women and children, violence cases against them are still on the rise.

Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly review all aspects to ensure safety and rights of women and children, enabling them to contribute more to national development, she noted.-VNA