Workshop discusses solutions to issues affecting women, children in ASEAN

The hybrid event attracted the participation of a large number of domestic and foreign experts in women and children-related issues who exchanged and discussed key highlights of Vietnam in 2024, priority areas for the rights of women and children post-2025, and cooperation activities at both national and regional levels.

Ha Thi Minh Duc, Deputy Director General of the ministry's Department of International Cooperation, briefed participants on remarkable achievements in improving the life quality for women and children in ASEAN.

In Vietnam, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, there were 1,317 cases involving 1,697 individuals related to the abuse of over 1,300 children, a decrease of 31 cases compared to the same period in 2023. Of the total, cases of sexual abuse decreased by 0.2% compared to the previous year.

To promote and protect the rights of women and children in Vietnam, Duc said that Vietnam will strengthen coordination with nations in building a roadmap on the implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Bullying of Children in ASEAN, and carry out the regional project on enhancing the capacity of frontline officials in preventing and combating human trafficking through the use of victim-centered and gender-sensitive approaches at the national level.

The country is also conducting a final review of the ASEAN regional action plan on ending violence against children and women for the 2015-2025 period, and developing a new action plan for the 2026-2035 period, while proposing to continue consultations between ACWC Vietnam and network members, especially for projects chaired by Vietnam.

Le Thi Hong Loan, Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF Vietnam, shared the organisation's priorities both regionally and in Vietnam. They include protecting children during the 2022-2026 period by supporting evidence collection, researching international standards and best practices, and sharing results to publicise the improvement of policies and laws on social work, children's rights, and child protection. UNICEF also focuses on strengthening child protection systems and services, developing a skilled social services workforce, providing judicial assistance for juveniles, and developing comprehensive databases and management systems for child protection.

Regarding the prevention and response to gender-based violence for the 2022-2026 period, Loan stated that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will focus on promoting the improvement of laws and policies on gender, gender-based violence, and family violence. It will also strengthen efforts to prevent gender-based violence and domestic violence, promote inter-sectoral coordination to ensure the provision of high-quality essential support services for women and girls affected by violence, and enhance coordination in responding to gender-based violence in emergency and disaster contexts.

At the workshop, participants discussed the possibility for continued coordination and actions to ensure the rights of children at the national level in the coming period, and proposed cooperation activities at both national and regional levels.