Mr. Pham Ngoc Tien, Director of Gender Equality Department, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs;
Mr. Kim Jinoh, Director, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Viet Nam;
Representatives from Government Organizations, CSOs, International development partners, UN Colleagues and media;  

Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good morning to you all,

On behalf of the United Nations Population Fund in Viet Nam, I would like to thank the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) for organizing this important event to launch the branding design competition for the National Action Month on Gender Equality and Prevention and Response to the Gender-Based Violence. I also would like to thank KOICA for contributing funding to the project "Building a Model to respond to Violence Against Women and Girls in Viet Nam". The launch event of today is one of activities conducted under the framework of this project.

Distinguished guests,
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth. Situation in Viet Nam is no different. Despite the great efforts made by the Government, CSOs, International organizations and development partners in the last decade, VAWG is still a serious issue threatening the peace and security of women and girls.

Although there has been little research conducted on the problem, available data shows that nearly one in four women worldwide experience sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and up to one-third of adolescent girls report their first sexual experience as being forced.

In Viet Nam, a MOLISA and Action Aid survey in 2016, which was conducted in five cities and provinces found that 51 per cent of women admitted that they had experienced sexual harassment at least once.

Recently, through media we have witnessed shocking attacks on women and girls such as the case of a young girl in Dien Bien who was kidnapped, raped and killed by a group of men during New Lunar Year Festival;  sexual harassment of nine primary school students by a male teacher in Bac Giang province, etc…Sexual violence against women and girls is a global pandemic, most of victims are women, and the risk is higher for adolescents and young people.

Ladies and gentlemen,
From 2013 up to now, UNFPA has been supporting MOCST, and then MOLISA to lead and coordinate annual national communication campaigns in response to 16 days activism on ending VAWG, and national action month on gender equality and prevention of GBV since it has been recognized by the Government in 2016.

Communication package, including logo and IEC materials of the campaigns were developed and used for several years. Recently, the International Women’s Day on 8 March has been celebrated with the theme: “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.

In order to have one voice and image on any single activities towards the issue of GE and GBV, we need to renew the branding of the campaign in creative and innovative ways to raise public awareness and mobilize joint-actions in promotion of the fundamental right of every child and every woman to live a life free of violence.

In this context, I would like to highlight three key messages as follows:

Firstly, information of the competition should be widely disseminated to draw the attention of public and mobilize the participation of different target groups, including ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTi through various communication channels: mass media and social media…

Secondly, the communication package of the campaign should be innovative for changing the mindsets and behaviors, particularly men towards gender equality; challenging traditional cultural norms and gender stereotypes, which reinforce dominant male attitudes and violent behaviors; creating an enabling and supportive environment for Vietnamese women to step up and speak out, to make perpetrators feel shame and discomfort when inflicting violence against their partners, co-workers, fellow students, women and girls in the street.

Thirdly, we encourage all participants of the competition to adopt green behaviours by reducing the amount of printing, recycling paper, plastic and glass and suggesting eco-friendly materials and products for the branding package.  

I am so happy to see that many young people gather today. Let's collaborate with us to make a real contribution to ending violence against women and girls in Viet Nam.

Ending violence against women should be a priority for every man and woman.  

Together, we can make Viet Nam safer and more equitable for women and girls.

I thank all the distinguished guests for your attention and participation. I wish you all good health, happiness and success.

Xin Cam On!