HANOI, 5 OCTOBER, 2020 - The award ceremony for the creative communication contest entitled "Speak Up – Take Action" was held this morning in Ha Noi. The contest was open from August 20 to September 25, 2020, aiming at seeking creative communication products for ending violence against women and girls in Viet Nam and calling on the community, especially the young people, to SPEAK UP – TAKE ACTION. The contest was organized by the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women, and Adolescents (CSAGA) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Anh Duong House in Quang Ninh province, and the Vietnamese Women Newspaper.
According to the UNFPA-supported 2019 National Study on Violence against Women, nearly 63 per cent of Vietnamese women experienced one or more forms of physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence. Violence against women and girls happens anywhere, any time, and it has negative impacts on personal life, communities and the country.
The National Study reveals that the prevalence of violence against women has declined only marginally compared to 2010, but there has been some indications for positive change in attitudes in young generations with regard to gender equality and gender-based violence. Therefore, this creative communication contest aims at encouraging individuals and groups of authors, but especially young people, to develop unique, innovative and engaging communication products to convey the right messages on gender equality, and call on communities to speak up and take action to end violence against women and girls.
Within 5 weeks after the launch of the contest, it reached more than 113,000 people, about 26,000 likes, more than 17,500 comments, and nearly 40,000 shares. 105 entries were received, including 75 photos, 24 video clips and 6 emoji/emoticons. The entries have also received a great attention and interest from social media users, with 38,068 shares on various social networking platforms including Facebook and TikTok.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of CSAGA said, “The response and participation of various people of different ages in this contest show the community's great attention to and interest in preventing violence against women and girls. Many entries have shown strong voices and actions to actually eliminate such violence. These will be pioneering individuals/groups in the movement to ending GBV. Together, we will create a joint strength and build a safe living environment for all, including women and girls”.
The contest is also an opportunity to find out the gaps in information, education and communication (IEC) about gender-based violence, based on common opinions in the community or existing gender stereotypes. These are reflected through the contest entries, so as to suggest original ideas, innovative proposals, and new recommendations for communication and programming to prevent and effectively respond to violence against women and girls.
Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam said at the event: “Joining in the efforts to stop violence is everybody’s responsibility. The government, private sector, civil society organisations, communities and individual citizens can all make essential contributions. Men and boys must be active in encouraging respect for women and zero tolerance for violence.”
“I trust that young people themselves will be the powerhouse for ending violence against women and girls,” she added.
The creators/authors and submitted works to be honored at the awards ceremony are as follows:
Video clip category:
First prize: "A strange essay" – Group contestant from TT&T Travel-Media Company
Second prize: "Sexual abuse prevention and control" - Sociology class K38
Third prize: "Rose" - Tran Hoang Thao My - Bui Thi Thanh Huyen
Third prize: F.E.A.R - Trinh Hoai Linh, Dang Thu Thao, Phung Thi Quyen, Vu Huyen Mai, Vo Thanh Huong
Social Media Interaction Award : "Please stop" - Group F4 + with 2500 views, 7700 comments and 8700 interactions/shares
Photo category:
Third prize: "Crib" - Group F5
Third prize: "Hand to hand" - Catus team
Social Media Interaction Award: "Women are meant to be loved" - Nguyen Thi Nga with 474 views, 317 comments and 11,000 interactions
Emoji/Emoticon category
Second prize: A communication product series - LeAiga Group
No prizes for individuals
On this occasion, UNFPA, CSAGA, KOICA, and the Dutch Embassy affirmed their strong commitment and called for action to end violence against women and girls in Viet Nam. Working together, we can build an equal and safe society for women and girls, which is essential to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
