Việt Nam vows to strengthen international cooperation in promoting rights of women, children

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs on November 15 in HCM City held the workshop of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vũ

HCM CITY — Việt Nam will strengthen coordination with other ASEAN member countries to develop a road map to implement the Declaration on the Elimination of Bullying of Children in ASEAN, attendees heard at a workshop held in HCM City on Friday (November 15).

The workshop of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

It attracted the participation of many domestic and foreign experts in women and children-related issues who exchanged and discussed key highlights of Việt Nam in 2024, priority areas for the rights of women and children post-2025, and cooperation activities at both national and regional levels.

Hà Thị Minh Đức, deputy director general of the ministry's Department of International Cooperation, briefed participants on remarkable achievements in improving the life quality for women and children in ASEAN.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security, there were 1,317 cases involving 1,697 individuals related to the abuse of over 1,300 children in Việt Nam, a decrease of 31 cases compared to the same period in 2023.

Of the total, cases of sexual abuse decreased by 0.2 per cent compared to the previous year.

The country is conducting a final review of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children and Women for the 2015-25 period, and developing a new action plan for the 2026-35 period, Đức said.

It is proposing to continue consultations between ACWC Việt Nam and network members, especially for projects chaired by Việt Nam, she said.

“Việt Nam will carry out the regional project on enhancing the capacity of frontline officials in preventing and combating human trafficking through the use of victim-centered and gender-sensitive approaches at the national level,” she said.

Lê Hồng Loan, chief of Child Protection at UNICEF Việt Nam, said about the organisation's priorities both regionally and in Việt Nam.

They include protecting children during the 2022-26 period by supporting evidence collection, researching international standards and best practices, and sharing results to publicise the improvement of policies and laws on social work, children's rights, and child protection.

UNICEF also focuses on strengthening child protection systems and services, developing a skilled social services workforce, providing judicial assistance for juveniles, and developing comprehensive databases and management systems for child protection, she said.

Regarding the prevention and response to gender-based violence for the 2022-26 period, Loan said the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will focus on promoting the improvement of laws and policies on gender, gender-based violence, and family violence.

It will also strengthen efforts to prevent gender-based violence and domestic violence, promote inter-sectoral coordination to ensure the provision of high-quality essential support services for women and girls affected by violence, and enhance coordination in responding to gender-based violence in emergency and disaster contexts.

Many participants discussed the possibility for continued coordination and actions to ensure the rights of children at the national level in the coming period, and proposed cooperation activities at both national and regional levels.

Việt Nam and other ASEAN member countries also agreed to adopt the Declaration on the Protection of Children from all Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN in 2019. — VNS