Mr. Robbie Taylor, Deputy Ambassador of New Zealand to Vietnam; Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Chief Representative of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of CSAGA Center and Mr. Pham Quang Minh, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi attended the discussion and delivered the opening speech.
According to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), one-third of women and girls worldwide are victims of gender-based violence, with more women dying and injured every day in gender-based violence than are affected by natural disasters, cancer, war and traffic accidents combined (UN Women Fact Sheet). In Vietnam, a study by the General Statistics Office (2010) showed that 58% of women have experienced at least one form of domestic violence. In addition, 87% of women from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been sexually harassed in public; 67% of witnesses did not take any action. (AAV, 2014) The underlying cause of this situation is gender inequality and prejudiced notions about the roles and positions of men and women in society.
In addition, barriers to ensuring the rights and equality of women and girls still exist. Regarding inequality in labor, education and housework, the latest report of the World Economic Forum (2016) also gave alarming figures: worldwide, the average income of women is only half that of men, 11,000 USD/year for women compared to 20,000 USD/year for men; 44% of women in the world are unemployed while this figure for men is only 18%; on average, women do housework 4 hours and 47 minutes a day, while men only spend 1 hour and 30 minutes on unpaid work; and although the enrollment rate of both sexes has improved, only 36% of women in the world hold leadership and management positions in agencies.
In that context, raising public awareness of gender equality and gender violence has received increasing attention from the community in recent years. An effective method to prevent and eliminate violence against women and gender stereotypes is the media. In that process, press agencies, media, and community social networking forums have always played an important role with perseverance and continuous efforts.
Photo by Internet
To encourage journalists and the community to actively write articles to eliminate gender stereotypes and prevent violence against women and girls, the Launching Ceremony of the program “Parallel for Gender Equality” widely announced the contest to a large number of journalists, media workers, students and the community. The contest has two components: Component one is for journalists with articles and products on mainstream newspapers, television and radio that were published from May 31, 2016 to December 31, 2016. Component two is for youth and community members with articles on social networks that were published from November 15, 2016 to December 31, 2016. The contest will be open for three weeks, from December 7, 2016 to December 31, 2016. Five awards for journalists and four awards for youth and community values will be presented to the best works.
Mr. Pham Quang Minh, Principal of Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, welcomed the contest and emphasized“Vietnamese women have played an important role in history. In any era, women have made extraordinary contributions to the development and stability of the nation and society.”Mr. Minh affirmed that the contest is an opportunity for the school to demonstrate its commitment to the cause of gender equality and the prevention of violence against women. The University of Social Sciences and Humanities is committed to accompanying the contest, conveying positive messages from the contest and calling on a large number of students to participate in creating media products for the contest.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Robbie Taylor, Deputy Head of Mission of the New Zealand Embassy in Hanoi, delivered a meaningful speech in Vietnamese. At the beginning of his speech, he read the poem “Banh Troi Nuoc” by poetess Ho Xuan Huong.I wonder why the poem always makes me think that Vietnamese women always have to endure, always have to sacrifice? Meanwhile, women deserve to be respected and loved.
When I watch TV, I still see commercials that always associate cooking and cleaning with women. Why is that? Housework is a shared responsibility. If my wife cooks, I pick vegetables. If she cooks, I clean the house.
I also realize that the press and media play an important role in eliminating gender stereotypes. Together with journalists, young people like students today can also use social networks and blogs to join hands in eliminating gender stereotypes, to show love and respect to our mothers, wives, sisters and friends.”
Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Director of CSAGA Center, updated the latest news on the child sexual abuse case at a coffee plantation near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. The story raises the alarm about the reality of violence against women and children, Ms. Van Anh emphasized:“Overnight, the video of child sexual abuse has taken social media by storm, causing public outrage. Those involved in the case are currently being prosecuted and the main perpetrator in the child sexual abuse case is being actively pursued by the police in Ho Chi Minh City. This shows the great power of social media and the media in general in detecting and denouncing crimes, as well as speaking out to protect victims of violence.”
Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Chief Representative of UN Women, called for:“Show us what goes through your mind when you reflect on women's rights and women's empowerment, and on the relationship between women and men.
Challenge the portrayal of men and women in the media. Think about the acceptance of audiences, including female victims of violence, and how your stories can empower them. Think about how your stories question gender stereotypes and gender norms for a wider audience.”
Websitewww.csaga.org.vnorhttps://www.facebook.com/nzembassyvietnamfor more information.
For more information about the contest, please contact:
| Ms. Thu Loan CSAGA Center Phone: (04) 3754-0421 (Extension: 16)
| Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Tram New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam Phone: (04) 3824-1481 (Extension: 221) |
