The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will help Vietnam fight gender-based and domestic violence under a project recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The project will be carried out over the next four years with non-refundable official development assistance worth USD 3.7 million.

Accordingly, Vietnam will be assisted to develop laws, policies, programmes and services relating to the prevention of and response to gender-based and domestic violence and prostitution issues, using evidence and a human rights-based approach.

Vice Ministry of Labours, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam speaking at a conference on fighting against gender-based violence, November 2016 (source: NDO)

The project will also develop standards for gender-based violence prevention and control, along with a system to collect online information and data on domestic violence.

At the same time, there will be communications campaigns on policy advocacy and behavior changes, in addition to models involving male farmers in the fight against gender-based violence.

Scientific evidence will also be gathered to build a bill on prostitution. Capacity in building and implementing policies on gender equality, domestic violence prevention and control, and prostitution issues will also be enhanced through the project.

The number of reported domestic violence cases in Vietnam exceeded 127,200 from 2012-2016. Some 83.69 percent of assaulters were men and nearly 80 percent of porces were due to domestic violence.

Up to 58 percent of married women have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime, while 87 percent of those who were abused did not seek any assistance from authorities.

Children living with violence at home are more likely to have poor academic performance and to bully others and commit offences.