HCM City told to get creative to enhance gender equality
The Ho Chi Minh City Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality needs to take creative and effective approaches to ensure gender equality in every aspect, a city leader has said.
Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said efforts towards the advancement of women and gender equality need to be promoted with the involvement of all genders and agencies at all levels.
A hotline should be set up for victims of domestic violence and gender inequality, Hoan, who is also head of the HCM City Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality, said at a recent meeting held to review implementation of the 2011–20 National Strategy on Gender Equality.
Tran Ngoc Son, deputy director of the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the city has seven goals for gender equality and the advancement of women in various areas, including economic, employment, education and training, healthcare, political participation, and the fight against human trafficking.
Over the last decade it has issued many policies and allocated funds to implement programmes to fulfill these goals, he said.
It also strived for international cooperation for women’s progress and gender equality with a series of programmes, he said.
But integrating gender concerns in the labour market and economic empowerment continue to face challenges due to a lack of concerted efforts by various agencies and inadequate data from social insurance agencies, he admitted.
Le Thi Ngoc Dung of the city Department of Home Affairs said gender equality needs to be a highlight of the national human resources development strategy.
State agencies and businesses need to comply with regulations on the ratio of women staff and empower women’s leadership at the workplace, she said.
Women account for more than 51% of the city’s nearly nine million population.
