The United Nations (UN) pledged further support for Vietnam in dealingwith all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls,including physical, emotional, sexual abuse and human trafficking.

Arthur Erken, a representative from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA),made the commitment at a workshop in Hanoi on December 15 to designa gender-based violence prevention project in 2016-2020 with a visionto 2030.

The UN recognised the VietnameseGovernment’s leadership and development partners’ support in raising thesocial status of women and thus promoting gender equality, he said.

Over the past years, Vietnam has worked hard to build a legalframework and implement intervention measures to protect the victims ofviolence and punish violent behaviour, according to Deputy Minister ofLabour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep.

However there remain gaps in the field, which requires a wide-rangingprogramme on gender-based violence prevention and control as well ascloser coordination among the parties involved, Diep said.

The project will be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval nextyear. Its outcomes are expected to help Vietnam fulfill thecommitments to the Millennium Development Goals and the Convention onthe Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), headded.

Participants called for raising publicawareness of the issue and bolstering cooperation with internationalpartners in the drive.

National statistics showedthat 58 percent of married women experienced at least one form ofdomestic violence in their lifetime while 87 percent did not seek anyassistance from authorities or public services.-VNA