Honourable Vice Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Madame Nguyen Thi Ha;
Mr. Le Minh Hanh, Deputy Director of Thanh Hoa DOLISA;
Representatives from MOLISA, Thanh Hoa DOLISA, and Thanh Hoa Provincial Social Work Center;
Online participants from DOLISA in 63 provinces, and members of the Action Partnership Network on the prevention and response to gender-based violence;
UNFPA staff and media colleagues;
I am very pleased to be here today to launch the One Stop Service Centre (OSSC) – Anh Duong House in Thanh Hoa Province, which is the second UNFPA-supported One Stop Service Centre towards addressing gender-based violence against women and girl in Thanh Hoa and nearby provinces.
This Anh Duong House has been established under the Japan funded project “Mitigating COVID 19 impacts on Vulnerable Populations – Ensuring National Progress to Achieve SDGs in Viet Nam,” and implemented by UNFPA Viet Nam in partnership with MOLISA and Thanh Hoa DOLISA.
I would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to the Ambassador of Japan to Viet Nam and his team at the Embassy for great support provided to UNFPA Viet Nam, and we highly appreciate the sense of solidarity and collaboration for Viet Nam through UNFPA.
And I would also like to extend my special and personal thanks to Madam Ha, Vice Minister of MOLISA, as well as colleagues from MOLISA, Thanh Hoa Provincial DOLISA, and Thanh Hoa Provincial Social Work Center for joining hands with us to eliminate gender-based violence against women and girls in Viet Nam. The launching of the Anh Duong House today significantly contributes to the successful implementation of the National Programme on Prevention and Response to gender-based violence, for the period 2021-2025, with the aim of ensuring that all survivors of violence receive support and services.
Distinguished guests,
Gender-based violence is a manifestation of gender inequality, which is deep-rooted in Viet Nam. According to the 2019 national study on violence against women, nearly 2 in 3 women aged 15 – 64 have experienced at least one form of physical, sexual, psychological, and/or economic violence in their life time. And it is very much hidden in society, as more than 90% of women who experienced violence do not seek any help from public services, and half never told anyone about it. Gender-based violence is costing Viet Nam 1.81% of GDP, which is significant.
A pre-existing prevalence of violence against women and girls has been exacerbated in the context of Covid-19. Recent reports have shown that restrictions in movement, social isolation and similar containment measures, coupled with existing or increased social and economic pressures and stress on families, have led to an increase in violence at home, particularly against women and girls in the world, and Viet Nam has not been an exception. Last year, in UNFPA-supported service centers for survivors of gender-based violence, the number of calls for help has doubled or even tripled. Protection and safety mechanisms, and the law and order and justice systems, have also been affected, further limiting opportunities for women and girls at risk of violence to seek help and assistance during the pandemic
Distinguished guests,
The first Anh Duong House as an OSSC was established in Quang Ninh province with technical and financial support from UNFPA in partnership with KOICA in April 2020 to provide comprehensive services under one roof, including health care, counselling, police protection, social welfare and justice services for gender-based violence survivors. To date, it has accommodated more than 300 cases, and its hotline, which is available 24/7 free of charge, is receiving more than 1,000 calls every month.
The Anh Duong House in Thanh Hoa Province is a replication of the Quang Ninh model and it is the 2nd OSSC established in Viet Nam, fully meeting international standards. It also has the toll-free hotline 18001744 available for 24/7. Although the OSSC is officially launched today, it already provided, in the past 20 days, support to eight GBV cases in the community through outreach activities, and three cases, as referred by the Viet Nam Farmers’ Union, have already been accommodated at the OSSC. The hotline has already received 16 calls. These figures clearly reflects that the establishment of the OSSC is crucial and timely, and really meets the urgent need for women and girls who are at risk of GBV.
We are very proud to inform you and share with you that that the Anh Duong House will also be launched in Da Nang and HCMC in coming months, within the framework of the national Master Plan developed. It means that the model is working, and appreciated by women and girls on the ground.
Ladies and gentlemen, Ending gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls is one of the three transformative results of UNFPA’s corporate Strategic Plan. In Viet Nam, UNFPA has been accompanying the Government of Viet Nam, especially the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, in the path to ending violence against women and girls. The establishment of this OSSC is one of the outcomes of our collaboration to ensure that all women and girls in Viet Nam, including those most vulnerable, have the right to live a life free of violence and with dignity. We are not leaving women and girls behind in the efforts of achieving SDGs by 2030.
Thank you very much for your attention and participation.
