Violence denies millions Vietnamese women, girls' opportunities, UN official

Violence has denied millions of women and girls' ability and opportunities to contribute to the economic and social progress of Vietnam, said an official of United Nations (UN) in Vietnam on Tuesday.

Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Vietnam made the remarks at the launching of a national joint campaign in response to the International Day on Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi on Tuesday.

Ending violence against women should be a priority for every men and women, said Mehta.

The UN official quoted a survey released by Vietnam's General Statistics Office and the UN in Vietnam in 2010 that as many as 58 percent of ever-married women in Vietnam said that they had experienced at least one form of physical, sexual and emotional violence from someone close, at some point in their lives.

"But 87 percent of victims did not seek help due to the lack of available services. Many were also too afraid to speak up due to the fear of stigma, discrimination and further harassment," said Mehta, emphasizing the data clearly shows that there is no safe environment for victims of sexual violence to speak out and seek justice for violation of their human rights.

The UN representative also hailed a recent move by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, who made a pledge in September at the Global Leaders Meeting on Gender Equality that Vietnam will devote all resources needed to bridge the gender gap in all domains, and committed to gradually eliminate all forms of violence against women and set a target that at least 50 percent of reported victims of violence against women are provided with healthcare and counseling services.

This is the fourth year that the joint national 16-day campaign is organized to raise awareness and action in 2006 UN Secretary General's initiated global campaign called Unite For Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. This year, the campaign specifically focuses on the sexual violence campaign, including sexual harassment.

The joint campaign will be taken to schools, universities, provinces and through media in the next 16 days, according to the website of UN in Vietnam.

The day Nov. 25 annually marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, beginning of the world-wide 16 days of Activism against gender-based Violence. Enditem