|
The right to live free of violence and discrimination is the right of every human being. Yet violence against women continues in every part of the world and it limits social and economic progress and harms families and communities. At a joint National Assembly-United Nations event held earlier this week called “Towards Eliminating Domestic Violence,” NA members joined donors, Government and UN officials to discuss the issue of domestic violence in Viet Nam in anticipation of the law’s passing. In her opening speech Mme Truong Thi Mai, Chairwoman of the Committee of Social Affairs of the National Assembly, shared her view of the proposed law: “The clear message of the law is that domestic violence is an illegal behaviour and is not a private affair of each family,” she said. “The law provides many new measures which call for the preparation of the State and the consensus of the whole society. We cannot expect that the situation will change in a short time, but the approval of the law proves the determination of people’s representatives and this must be spread in society by means of government agencies, social organizations, mass media and citizens.” Mme Mai also mentioned that it was an interesting coincidence that the passage of this law coincided with the commemorations for the UN’s International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (25 November). Participants at the UN-NA event wore white ribbons as a symbol of their pledge never to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. The White Ribbon Campaign is supported by all UN agencies in Viet Nam, and ribbons were also distributed to government and other counterparts. Mr Ian Howie, Co-Chair of the UN Gender Theme Group, wore his white ribbon with pride, reinforcing the continued commitment of the United Nations to eliminating violence against women. “With the law’s passing, the United Nations stands ready to provide financial and technical assistance for its implementation,” said Mr Howie, who is also the UN Population Fund Representative in Viet Nam. “This is a critically important step toward preventing violence against women and girls under the law throughout Viet Nam.” Mr Luong Phan Cu, Vice Chairman of the Committee for Social Affairs outlined the process for the development and adoption of the Draft Bill on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, which includes six chapters and forty five articles. The guiding principles for the law include, “timely interventions to prevent violent acts and protect victims; giving priority to victim expectations; and respecting citizen’s rights whilst handling committed acts.”
For further information, please contact: Ms. Suzette Mitchell, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), (84-4) 734 5391 suzette.mitchell@unifem.org Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, UN Communications Team, 84-4-822-4383 ext. 118
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
