VietNam Society: women

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Study reveals harsh realities for women migrants in HCM City

Women immigrants in HCM City have faced severe financial and other challenges since the recession began in 2007, according to a study released on Dec. 14 by a city-based university.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Xoan, a member of the research group from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said the study was meant to assess the impact of the economic recession on women, especially immigrants to the city during the period.

It polled 400 women in the district of Nha Be, Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, and 5, half of them immigrants aged between 21 and 40.

It found that the rate of unemployment among women in the city was more than 5 percent, higher than the national average.

Nearly 91.5 percent of women immigrants to the city work at industrial and export processing zones, run small business, or do seasonal jobs since they lack knowledge or skills.

"They do not have any knowledge of social and health insurance or labour contracts, and so do not protest when their employers do not sign contracts or pay social and health insurance for them," Xoan said.

Their average salary at industrial and export processing zones is around 2.3 million VND while the cost of living in the city is rising relentlessly, forcing them to cut back on rent, healthcare, and entertainment.

They can only afford 2.7 percent to 5 percent of their income for healthcare, with most of them going to pharmacies rather than doctors for medicines.

Ninety percent of them do not have time to attend training courses to improve their skills because they have to work to earn money.

Just over a third of them have the time to take part in events organised by social organisations like trade unions and women's unions, meaning most are unable to learn about labour laws or benefits.

The researchers recommended that employers and authorities should take greater care of women workers, especially migrants.

More research would need to be done into the life and work of women migrants to enable policy makers to draft specific policies to support them, they added./.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Study reveals harsh realities for women migrants in HCM City

HCM CITY — Women immigrants in HCM City have faced severe financial and other challenges since the recession began in 2007, according to a study released yesterday by a city-based university.

It polled 400 women in Districts Nha Be, Thu Duc, Binh Thanh, and 5, half of them immigrants aged between 21 and 40.

It found that the rate of unemployment among women in the city was more than 5 per cent, higher than the national average.

Nearly 91.5 per cent of women immigrants to the city work at industrial and export processing zones, run small business, or do seasonal jobs since they lack knowledge or skills.

Their average salary at industrial and export processing zones is around VND2.3 million while the cost of living in the city is rising relentlessly, forcing them to cut back on rent, healthcare, and entertainment.

They rent an average of 14.59-14.9sq.m per person in premises that lack hygiene and can only afford 2.7 per cent to 5 per cent of their income for healthcare, with most of them going to pharmacies rather than doctors for medicines.

Ninety per cent of them do not have time to attend training courses to improve their skills because they have to work to earn money.

Just over a third of them have the time to take part in events organised by social organisations like trade unions and women's unions, meaning most are unable to learn about labour laws or benefits.

The researchers recommended that employers and authorities should take greater care of women workers, especially migrants.

More research would need to be done into the life and work of women migrants to enable policy makers to draft specific policies to support them, they added. — VNS

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Few ethnic women seek legal services

HA NOI — According to a survey carried out by the Institute for the Study of Society and Environment, the biggest threats ethnic women faced were verbal and physical abuse.

The survey that questioned 500 women from four communes in Bac Can and An Giang provinces found that ethnic minority women still had limited access to legal services, despite the fact the services had been renewed and developed.

Ethnic minorities generally accepted their fate with resignation when their legal rights were violated, it said.

Husbands were the main violators of the Law on Marriage and Family and around 50 per cent of women said they did not benefit from policies for poor households.

The survey showed that although both Bac Can and An Giang provinces had legal assistance facilities, only 10 per cent of women consulted them.

It pointed out that many ethnic women didn't speak Vietnamese which made it difficult for them to receive help.

It said that judicial bodies needed to provide detailed outlines of the services available, and monitor the number of ethnic minority women using them.

Legal consultancy centres should actively strive to help more ethnic women, and provide more services to benefit them while relevant bodies should subsidise their use.

They should also take into account ethnic minority customs when resolving problems if the customs were inconsistent with law, it said.

The survey also asked women's associations and relevant bodies to promote the dissemination of law for ethnic women.

At present the country has 1,718 law offices.

According to a research by the United Nations Development Programme in 2003, 84 per cent of people in mountainous provinces did not know about legal consultancy centres.

From 2007 to 2008, the Legal Consultancy Department advised 198,051 ethnic minorities.

Last year, 25,853 ethnic minority people received legal advice. — VNS

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Budget priorities risk gender equality

Officials in central Thanh Hoa Province's Rung Thong Town explain business regulations to local women. Greater effort should be made to ensure gender equality and women's rights in business and politics, a conference in Ha Noi heard yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue

HA NOI – The selection of priorities to ensure the budget would endanger the investment made in women and gender equality, UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) representative, Viet Nam, Suzette Mitchell warned yesterday.

Gender equality was not only an important development target but also a basis for other development goals, she told a conference to promote a national gender-equality strategy for the next 10 years in Ha Noi yesterday.

Gender equality created the right dynamic for strong socio-economic development, she said.

Mitchell emphasised the importance of maintaining the achievements already made in gender equality, especially as Viet Nam was becoming a middle-income country.

Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation deputy director Nguyen The Trung said 10 years of implementing the national strategy for Vietnamese women had advanced their role in society.

The gender gap had narrowed, he said.

Women were now engaged in every field, especially the political system.

Viet Nam always had a female Vice President and 25.76 per cent of National Assembly deputies were women, the highest rate in eight ASEAN parliaments.

Strategy

Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan told the conference that a draft national strategy for gender equality for 2011-20 had gone to the Government.

It was intended to ensure equal opportunities and benefits for both men and women in political, economic and socio-cultural fields, she said.

The strategy also aimed to the raise the number women deputies in the National Assembly and People's Councils to more than 30 per cent between 2011-15 and more than 35 per cent by 2020.

In addition, it was planned to provide vocational training for half of Viet Nam's rural women workers and create new jobs for at least 40 per cent of workers regardless of gender.

Minister Ngan proposed that next year's 11th National Party Congress set clear directions for implementing future gender equality targets.

Both the Party and Government agencies needed to facilitate human and financial resources to ensure gender equality, she said. — VNS

Friday, January 21, 2011

UN pledges help to Vietnam in gender equality

The top representative of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Vietnam , Suzette Mitchell, affirms the UN will help Vietnam improve its record in gender equality and the empowerment of women.

At a December 8 conference in Hanoi on ways of pushing a national strategy on gender equality for the period 2011-2020 on December 8, Mitchell emphasised the importance of maintaining the achievements already made in gender equality, especially as Vietnam is becoming a middle-income country.

She also highlighted the nation’s first-ever national strategy on gender equality. However, she said that the selection of national priorities to ensure the budget will endanger the investment made in women and gender equality.

Gender equality is not only an important development target but also a premise to achieving other development goals and creates the right dynamic for strong socio-economic development, she said.

Nguyen The Trung, the Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation, said that Vietnamese women’s role and position in society has been lifted after 10 years of carrying out the national strategy for the advancement of women during the 2001-2010 period.

The gender gap in society has been narrowed, said Trung, adding that women are now involved in every field, especially in leading roles and political management.

Vietnam always has a female Vice President and women make up 25.76 percent of the country’s NA deputies in the 2007-2011 term, the highest rate among eight ASEAN parliaments, he stressed.

However, the conference pointed out the shortcomings in social life which have hindered economic growth, social progress, equality and sustainable development.

The Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Kim Ngan, said that the draft of the national strategy on gender equality for the 2011-2020 has been presented to the Government. The strategy aims to ensure equal opportunities and benefits for both men and women in political, economic and socio-cultural fields, she said.

The strategy also aims to the raise the rate of women deputies in the National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils to over 30 percent during the 2011-2015 period and over 35 percent in the following five years.

It also targets providing vocational training for half of rural women workers and create new jobs for at least 40 percent of workers of each gender.

She proposed that the 11 th National Party Congress set out clear directions for implementing gender equality targets in the future. The Party, as well as Government agencies need to facilitate human and financial resources to ensure gender equality, she added./.

Jail for Tay Ninh human traffickers

Tay Ninh Province People's Court has sentenced four offenders to a total of 21 years in prison for trafficking nine Vietnamese women to work as prostitutes in Singapore.

The ring's head, Vo Thi Hiep, 46, received eight years. She admitted to meeting a Vietnamese women who immigrated to Singapore known as "pimp Ngan" in the middle of 2009.

Hiep and "pimp Ngan" then planned to cheat and take Vietnamese women to Singapore and sell them for Ngan's brothel. For each woman sold, Hiep would be paid VND1 million (US$50).

Ngan then hired Ly Thanh Mong, 25, to receive the women that Hiep sold and take care of necessary documents and flights for these women to come to Singapore. Ngan paid Mong VND2 million ($100) per month.

In September 2009, Hiep promised twins Tran Thi Kim Ngoc and Tran Thi Kim Ngan, 19, that she had found a well-paying job for them at a restaurant in Singapore. Ngoc and Ngan, from Tay Ninh Province, agreed to go and were then sold to pimp Ngan's brothel.

They were later sent back to Viet Nam by Hiep and were required to find more women to send to Singapore.

Later in the month, Ngoc introduced another woman to Hiep. Unlike the others, she did not agree to work as a prostitute and told her family to buy her back for VND18 million ($900). She then denounced Hiep's trafficking ring to local police.

On February 4, police seized Mong and Ngan at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City while they were trying to fly nine women to Singapore.

At the court Mong, Ngoc and Ngan were sentenced to six, four and three years in prison, respectively.

According to the General Department for Anti-crime Police, 140 cases of human trafficking were detected between August and October this year. The majority of the 1,300 victims were women, the department said.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Jail for human traffickers

Tay Ninh province People's Court on Dec. 6 sentenced four offenders to a total of 21 years in prison for trafficking nine Vietnamese women to work as prostitutes in Singapore .

The ring's head, Vo Thi Hiep, 46, received eight years. She admitted to meeting a Vietnamese women who immigrated to Singapore known as "pimp Ngan" in the middle of 2009. Hiep and "pimp Ngan" then planned to cheat and take Vietnamese women to Singapore and sell them for Ngan's brothel. For each woman sold, Hiep would be paid 1 million VND (50 USD).

Ngan then hired Ly Thanh Mong, 25, to receive the women that Hiep sold and take care of necessary documents and flights for these women to come to Singapore . Ngan paid Mong 2 million VND (100 USD) per month.

In September 2009, Hiep promised twins Tran Thi Kim Ngoc and Tran Thi Kim Ngan, 19, that she had found a well-paying job for them at a restaurant in Singapore . Ngoc and Ngan, from Tay Ninh province, agreed to go and were then sold to pimp Ngan's brothel.

They were later sent back to Vietnam by Hiep and were required to find more women to send to Singapore .

Later in the month, Ngoc introduced another woman to Hiep. Unlike the others, she did not agree to work as a prostitute and told her family to buy her back for 18 million VND (900 USD). She then denounced Hiep's trafficking ring to local police.

On February 4, police seized Mong and Ngan at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City while they were trying to fly nine women to Singapore .

At the court Mong, Ngoc and Ngan were sentenced to six, four and three years in prison, respectively.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Jail for human traffickers

TAY NINH — Tay Ninh Province People's Court yesterday sentenced four offenders to a total of 21 years in prison for trafficking nine Vietnamese women to work as prostitutes in Singapore.

The ring's head, Vo Thi Hiep, 46, received eight years. She admitted to meeting a Vietnamese women who immigrated to Sing-apore known as "pimp Ngan" in the middle of 2009. Hiep and "pimp Ngan" then planned to cheat and take Vietnamese women to Singapore and sell them for Ngan's brothel. For each woman sold, Hiep would be paid VND1 million (US$50).

They were later sent back to Viet Nam by Hiep and were required to find more women to send to Singapore.

On February 4, police seized Mong and Ngan at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City while they were trying to fly nine women to Singapore.

At the court Mong, Ngoc and Ngan were sentenced to six, four and three years in prison, respectively.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

34% of women abused by husbands: report

One in three, or 34 percent, of married Vietnamese women have either suffered physical or sexual violence from their husbands at some time in their lives, a new report says.

When three main types of domestic violence - physical, sexual and emotional - are considered, 58 percent of Vietnamese women report experiencing at least one type in their lifetime, according to the study released Thursday.

The joint UN-Vietnam report, the first of its kind, also says that nine percent of women currently or formerly married are experiencing either physical or emotional violence.

Sampling 4,838 women aged between 18 and 60, the study shows that women are three times more likely to be abused by a husband than by any other person.

About 5 percent of women who had been pregnant reported being beaten during pregnancy. In almost all of these cases, the women had been abused by the father of the unborn child.

It says children are also victims. Almost one in four women with children under 15 years of age reported that their children have been abused physically by their husbands.

But there are regional variations.

In the southeastern region, 42 percent of women report having experienced physical or sexual violence by their husbands at some time.

Greater differences are also evident among ethnic groups, with reported lifetime prevalence rates of domestic violence ranging from 8 percent (H’Mong) to 36 percent (Kinh). Kinh is the dominant ethnicity accounting for nearly 90 percent of the population.

“Although domestic violence is widespread, the problem is very much hidden,” said Henrica A.F.M. Jansen, lead researcher of the study.

“Besides the stigma and shame causing women to remain silent, many women think that violence in relationships is ‘normal’ and that women should tolerate and endure what is happening to them for the sake of family harmony.”

In fact, one in two women said that before the survey interviews, they had never told anyone about instances of violence by their husbands.

“This report highlights the urgency of breaking the silence,” said Jean Marc Olive, WHO Representative in Vietnam. “All of us owe it to the women who suffer from domestic violence, and the women who took part in this survey, to step up, speak out, and end domestic violence.”

The study, undertaken as part of the United Nations - Government of Vietnam Joint Program on Gender Equality, was conducted by the General Statistics Office, with technical assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vietnam is heavily influenced by Confucianism which preaches submission and family harmony.

One-in-three women abused by husbands

HA NOI — One in three ever-married women said that they had suffered physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands at some time in their lives.

The results from the National Study on Domestic Violence Against Women in Viet Nam were released in Ha Noi yesterday.

This research, the biggest and most thorough to tackle the issue so far in Viet Nam, was conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO) and the United Nations (UN), and surveyed 4,838 women aged 18-60 from 63 provinces.

Nine per cent of married women said they were currently experiencing either of those two forms of violence.

When the three main types of partner violence - physical, sexual and emotional - were considered, more than half (58 per cent) of Vietnamese women reported experiencing at least one type of domestic violence in their lifetime.

The study found that women are three times more likely to be abused by their husbands than by any other person.

"It is a stark fact that women in Viet Nam are more at risk of experiencing violence in their homes than anywhere else," said Jean-Marc Olive, representative of the World Health Organisation in Viet Nam at the report launch.

Tran Thi Hang, GSO deputy general director said Viet Nam, for the first time, had detailed information about the prevalence, frequency and types of violence against women and the health repercussions of domestic violence.

Pregnant women are also at risk. According to the report, about 5 per cent of women who had been pregnant reported being beaten during pregnancy. In most of these cases, the women had been abused by the father of the unborn child.

"Physical and/or sexual and emotional partner violence in Viet Nam ranks in the middle compared to other countries that have carried out this type of research," said Henrica Jansen, the study's lead researcher.

"This result is only the beginning. Actions need to be taken in the fight against domestic violence."

"We still do not have a national targeted programme for domestic violence for Viet Nam like we do for HIV/AIDS," said Benjamin Swanton from Paz Y Desarrollo, a Spanish non-government organisation on domestic violence in Viet Nam.

Once there is a national targeted programme then the resources are addressed, all ministries get involved and the issue will then be tackled thoroughly, he added.

Although domestic violence takes a heavy toll on women, children are also victims. Almost one in four women with children under 15 years of age reported that their children had been abused physically by their husbands. —VNS

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

National study reveals common domestic abuse

The results of the first national study into domestic violence against women in Vietnam were jointly announced by the General Statistics Office (GSO) and the United Nations in Hanoi on Nov. 25.

The study says the majority of Vietnamese married women face the risk of domestic violence, despite the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence which were passed in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Fifty-eight percent of Vietnamese married women report experiencing at least one type of domestic violence (physical, sexual or emotional) in their lifetime and only 1.7-6.3 percent of them asked for help at different agencies and organizations.

The study also revealed that 26 percent of women who were physically or sexually abused by their husbands reported suffering physical injuries and 17 percent of them reported being injured multiple times.

Addressing the launching ceremony, GSO Deputy General Director Tran Thi Hang said that for the first time a study seeks to obtain detailed information nationwide about the prevalence, frequency and type of violence against women, looking at the health outcomes of domestic violence, the factors that may protect or put women at risk of domestic violence and coping strategies and services that women can use to deal with domestic violence.

This information will help the Government and relevant agencies work out effective solutions to better implement the two above-mentioned laws, said Hang.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Putting an end to gender selection

A newborn girl at Ha Noi's National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The Government is trying to reverse the gender imbalance at birth with a combination of measures. — VNA/VNS Photo The Duyet

HA NOI — By promoting a radical shift in women's roles within the family unit that allows daughters to perform ‘masculine' duties, Viet Nam may be able to reverse the country's imbalanced gender ratio.

Participants from across the country discussed this measure at the Workshop on Sharing Visions to Adress Viet Nam's Imbalanced Gender Ratio in Hoa Binh last week.

The gap in the ratio between boys and girls born in Viet Nam began to widen in 2006. The 2009 Census on Population and Housing reported that there were 110.6 boys born per 100 girls born last year.

Head of the General Office For Population and Family Planning Duong Quoc Trong said the desire to have a son is influenced by centuries-old beliefs that males provide additional stability for families. A survey conducted by the Research Institute for Social Development that was published this year also reported that couples favour male children because boys are given the important task of carrying on the family name and caring for the family.

Bac Lieu Province's Department of Health deputy director Chau Tuyet Ngoc said the motivation to have sons differs from the North to the South. "In the South, parents are more likely to prefer to have both sons and daughters than parents in the North are."

Participants at the conference discussed how new technology allows couples to determine the gender of their child earlier, and to what extent this technology has affected the nation's gender imbalance.

Trong said gender-selective abortions were only a small part of the big picture.

He said traditionally couples had also sought to engineer the sex of their child by ingesting traditional medicine, following a special diet or selecting a specific time for conception.

Participants said that in several provinces where people had limited access to ultrasounds and abortion clinics, the gender ratio imbalances at birth were still high.

Khuat Thu Hong, head of Research Institute for Social Development, said although the Population Ordinance in 2004 banned doctors from revealing the sex of a foetus before birth, many doctors ignore the rule.

"Patients and doctors often form close relationships during the nine-month pregnancy, which at times makes it nearly impossible for doctors to refuse to inform the parents about the foetus's sex," said Hong.

"And actually revealing this information is very easy, some doctors just use gestures."

Trong said officials were lax on enforcing the law. Only two clinics have been closed after investigative reporting uncovered that doctors were informing parents about the gender of their foetus.

Most pregnant women at health clinics that were surveyed knew their foetus' gender, said the office's deputy inspector Nguyen Dinh Bach.

United Nations Fund for Population Activities officer Pham Nguyen Bang said the demand to know the gender of one's child in advance is rational, normal and humane. It was the utilisation of that piece of information to eliminate a female foetuses that was illegal.

"It is time to intervene in gender-selective abortion, however, it is not easy to distinguish between a gender-selective abortion and family planning," he said.

Bang said as long as abortion is used as a tool for family planning, it will be difficult to combat gender-selective abortions.

Hong said South Korea's experience should serve as an example to other Asian countries. South Korea was the first of several Asian countries to deal with large gender imbalances at birth. The country effectively reversed the trend by implementing economic policies that opened the doors to women into the work place. South Korea also introduced a series of policies that established equal rights for men and women. These measures effectively empowered women and reduced the country's gender imbalance. — VNS

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Vietnamese slaves rescued in Malaysia

Malaysian police have rescued eight women enslaved at a tearoom and a massage parlor in Kuala Lumpur, Tuoi Tre quoted an anti-slavery organization as saying Monday.

Initial information showed that the women were hired from Vietnam to work at the places run by a Vietnamese woman and her Malaysian husband, according to the news source.

The women were promised good pay and working conditions, but the couple confiscated all their documents upon arrival in Malaysia and forced them to work unpaid from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

After three months, one of the women managed to contact her older sister in the US who then notified the US-based office of the Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia (CAMSA).

On September 28, the CAMSA office in Malaysia cooperated with local police to rescue the women.

CAMSA was founded in February, 2008 by the International Society for Human Rights, the Vietnamese Canadian Federation, the US Committee to Protect Vietnamese Workers, and the Boat People SOS. It works to combat human trafficking in Southeast Asia.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Women vow to boost equality

HA NOI — The ASEAN Council of Women's Organisations (ACWO) General Assembly wrapped up yesterday, passing a resolution in which member countries committed to enhancing the participation and contributions of women to the development of each country and region.

They also promised to boost the realisation of the Government's commitments in promoting gender equality and women's advancement.

The General Assembly also called for an increase in ASEAN women's involvement in business affairs, information technology and digital telecommunications development, and in ensuring sustainable development aligns with the objectives and principles stated in the ASEAN charters related to women.

ACWO were highly appreciative and wished the governments of the ASEAN+3 countries would form a mechanism to foster regional co-operation to uplift women power and raise the participation and contribution of women in economics, food security, food safety, environmental protection, climate change responses, the prevention of domestic violence, labour immigration and human trafficking.

ACWO members committed to implementing the resolution in the spirit of friendship and co-operation for peace, prosperity and sustainability in the region.

In the closing ceremony, chairwoman of the Viet Nam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, who was also the ACWO President from 2008 to 2010, handed over her regional position to the chairwoman of Indonesia's National Council of Women's Organ-isations for the 2010-12 period.

Hoa said she believed Indonesia's National Council of Women's Organisations, one of ACWO's founders, would successfully complete its tasks in the upcoming tenure. — VNS

Saturday, November 27, 2010

HCM City events celebrate Women's Union's 80th

A variety of cultural programmes kicked off today in HCM City to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Women's Union (October 20).

A photo exhibition opened at the city's Women Cultural House on Oct.19, featuring the latest collections of female artists from Hai Au Club, a leading photography club for women.

The show includes black-and-white and colour photos that portray the beauty of Hanoi and its people through the eyes of skilled photographers like Dao Hoa Nu.

Seminars and forums that highlight the work and success of Vietnamese women in modern life are also included.

Dozens of specialists in health care, beauty and marriage and family problems were invited to talk with the events' participants.

Dam Sen Park worked with its partners, including the city's Women Association and Youth Union, to host a festival called Rose Festival Day offering various music and dance programmes, traditional games and sport competitions for women and their family.

Veteran and young performers will sing and dance in praise of women.

Women with high achievements in business and art were also honoured.

In Hanoi , flower sellers expect to increase sales as this is a popular time of the year for people to show their love to women.

Prices, however, have gone up as much 20,000 VND (1 USD) for one rose, seven times higher than usual.

Gift shops around the city are filled with cards, perfumes, cosmetics and compact discs, with prices about 10 percent more than usual.

This year, the Phu Nhuan Jewellery Company is offering more than 30 different kinds of jewellery designed under a "female" theme. Prices range from 50,000 VNDto more than VND1 million per item.

Supermarkets like Co-op Mart and Big C have also offered special promotions to satisfy the demand of the market this day.

Many primary and secondary schools across the country have also prepared special activities to celebrate the event./.

Friday, November 26, 2010

PM calls on women to play greater role in regional growth

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung meets the heads of delegations to the ASEAN Council of Women's Organisations General Assembly which opened in Ha Noi yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Tam

HA NOI — Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday called on Southeast Asian women to maintain their prominent role in helping develop their countries and the regional community.

The Government leader made his statement at the opening of the ASEAN Council of Women's Organisations (ACWO) General Assembly in Ha Noi yesterday.

The ACWO's contribution to the advancement of regional women over the past 30 years was praised by the Prime Minister, in which the council has successfully promoted gender equality andthe involvement of women in the development of their countries and the region as a whole.

"The participation and contribution of women in the creation and development of ASEAN is greatly significant," said Dung at the two-day meeting which has drawn more than 200 participants from the region and international organisations.

The Prime Minister asked the Council to develop ideas and measures to make the most of women's potential and creativeness, further promoting women's advancement and their contribution to the building of the ASEAN Community in general, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community in particular. Dung took the opportunity to call on regional governments to prioritise and maintain their support for programmes and activities promoting gender equality and female empowerment.

The ACWO's 14th General Assembly, with the theme "Enhancing women's effective participation toward a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable ASEAN" is focusing its discussions on a wide range of issues to find solutions to increasing the role of regional women as well as promoting their advancement and gender equality.

Dung confirmed in his speech that Viet Nam always attached importance to the promotion of its female population and ensuring their rights.

"The contributions of Vietnamese women to the development of the country have been increasing and they are taking on more important roles in all walks of life," said the PM, who emphasised that the government always gave favourable conditions to women to make their best contribution to the country's development.

Dung committed to regional women's representatives that Viet Nam has been and will be making every effort to work in close co-ordination with regional countries to achieve the ASEAN targets of promoting women's advancement, gender equality and their role in building the ASEAN Community. The regional community is expected to be built by 2015.

The conference, being held in Ha Noi under the chair of the Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) which is the ACWO President from 2008-10, provides a forum for women to share their insights on women-related issues.

The conference will adopt a resolution to promote the participation and contribution of women to the development of their countries and the region, as well as the commitment of regional governments on the promotion of women's advancement and gender equality, said VWU President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa at the opening yesterday.

The role of women in response to the financial crisis and climate change and the promotion of women's advancement and gender equality by ASEAN governments are being discussed at the conference which concludes today. The participants have also been exchanging information on other issues including poverty alleviation, food security and safety, migrant workers, and the prevention of domestic violence against women and children, according to Hoa.

A ceremony to hand-over the ACWO Presidency to Indonesia, which will take the chair of the Council from 2010 to 2012, will be held later today. — VNS

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Korean bride murderer gets 12 years in jail

Korean bride murderer gets 12 years in jail The mentally deranged South Korean husband who admitted to murdering his Vietnamese wife in July was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday by a Korean court.

Prosecutors last month suggested life-in-prison for Jang Do Hyo as he committed the crime despite receiving treatment for his condition many times. Prosecutors argued that Hyo posed a future risk to society.

But the judge determined that Hyo was mentally ill during the murder and has showed regret afterward, local news website VnExpress said Friday, citing an AFP report.

The 47-year-old requires mental treatment in jail and will have to wear an electronic monitoring device for ten years after his release, according to an announcement made at the trial.

Hyo stabbed his 20-year-old wife Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc, of Can Tho, to death just eight days after her arrival in the country. They wed early this year through a marriage brokerage firm.

He told the police he heard a voice in his head asking him to kill Ngoc during their quarrel.

Since July 2005, Hyo has been treated 57 times for mental illness, but stopped taking medicine after the marriage. Police say Hyo was afraid his wife would discover his past problems.

Seoul authorities have compensated Ngoc’s family US$25,000.

Following the case, South Korea pledged to make Korean men looking to marry foreign women undergo a cultural education program.

More than one-third of South Korean men, most of them farmers and fishermen, married foreign women last year, according to figures released by Korean authorities.

Statistics from the South Korean Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City showed that around 27,500 Vietnamese women had been granted marriage visas by 2008 and around 8,000 such visas were granted in 2009 alone. This means around 35,500 Vietnamese women had migrated to South Korea for marriage by the end of 2009.

Most of these marriages were conducted by illegal brokerage firms.

Over the last two decades, poverty has driven thousands of women from poor families, especially the Mekong Delta, to marry older men, mainly from South Korea and Taiwan.

Korean bride murderer gets 12 years in jail

But the judge determined that Hyo was mentally ill during the murder and has showed regret afterward, local news website VnExpress said Friday, citing an AFP report.

The 47-year-old requires mental treatment in jail and will have to wear an electronic monitoring device for ten years after his release, according to an announcement made at the trial.

Hyo stabbed his 20-year-old wife Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc, of Can Tho, to death just eight days after her arrival in the country. They wed early this year through a marriage brokerage firm.

He told the police he heard a voice in his head asking him to kill Ngoc during their quarrel.

Since July 2005, Hyo has been treated 57 times for mental illness, but stopped taking medicine after the marriage. Police say Hyo was afraid his wife would discover his past problems.

Seoul authorities have compensated Ngoc’s family US$25,000.

Following the case, South Korea pledged to make Korean men looking to marry foreign women undergo a cultural education program.

More than one-third of South Korean men, most of them farmers and fishermen, married foreign women last year, according to figures released by Korean authorities.

Most of these marriages were conducted by illegal brokerage firms.

Over the last two decades, poverty has driven thousands of women from poor families, especially the Mekong Delta, to marry older men, mainly from South Korea and Taiwan.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

VN, Cambodian provinces share experiences in women’s issues

A delegation from the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development Association in Kampong Speu province, headed by its chairwoman Tim Savath, is working with the Women’s Association of the southern province of Vinh Long from September 22-24.

The visit aims to help the two associations increase the exchange of experiences in a wide range of activities and learn about each others programmes and policies in order to support women living in difficult circumstances and provide them better health care, while preventing social evils such as human trafficking.

The Cambodian side spoke highly of achievements made by the Vinh Long provincial Women’s Association (VLWA) to assist women in running a household business while caring for their families. The province was also praised for vocational training and other effective club models.

Le Thanh Xuan, Vice Chairwoman of the Vinh Long provincial People’s Committee, said both Vietnam and Cambodia recognise the significance of families, in which women play an important role.

The proportion of women in Vietnam and in Vinh Long province assuming leadership roles is increasing, she said.

During its stay in Vietnam, the Cambodian delegation also made fact-finding tours of several craft manufacturing centres and resorts in the province where a large number of women work./.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Malaysian female MP expects more opportunities for women

Datuk Rosnah binti Haji Abdul Rashid Shirlin, a member of the Malaysian female parliamentarian delegation to the Women ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (WAIPA) meeting, has stressed the role of women in ASEAN development and called for more opportunities for women.

According to the Malaysian female parliamentarian, women should be given opportunities, more role and more places in terms of politics as well as decision-making as they are very progressive in each regional country.

“I would like to see that situation in ASEAN countries would change and more opportunities and power given to women in terms of decision-making,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the WAIPA meeting in Hanoi on September 20.

The role of women can be strengthened with the support by not only the women parliamentarians, but also the men, she added.

Datuk Rosnah binti Haji Abdul Rashid Shirlin was among 28 female parliamentarians from nine AIPA member delegations to attend the WAIPA meeting in Hanoi to discuss issues, focusing on improvement of social welfare and development for women and children, the role of women in economic recovery after financial crisis, women’s political participation and women's role in legislation.

She took this opportunity to congratulate Vietnam for its celebration of the millennium of Thang Long-Hanoi as well as its hosting of the 17 th ASEAN summit next month./.

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