Being free to reside, travel and enjoy city life in safety is a legitimate right of all people, especially women who have reason to worry about the possibility of sexual harassment or abuse.
A discussion on safe cities for women was held in Hanoi on October 22 (Photo: VNA)
Being free to reside, travel and enjoy city life in safety is a legitimate right of all people, especially women who have reason to worry about the possibility of sexual harassment or abuse, a policy and campaign manager at ActionAid Vietnam has said.
Nguyen Phuong Thuy from the NGO introduced the "Safe cities for women" programme in Hanoi on October 22.
The programme works with citizens and management agencies to make cities places where women and girls can feel comfortable and confident instead of worried, vulnerable and highly vigilant.
In many of Vietnam's bigger cities – on city streets, public transport and even work offices – it can be unsafe for women. Around the world, women are subjected to physical assaults and mental suffering in public spaces on a regular basis.
Speaking from personal experience, Vu Thanh Van, a third-year student who takes public transport to the Academy of Journalism and Communication every day, says, "On the crowded buses, sexual harassment and pick pocketing is very common. Many passengers witness these cases but ignore them."
A survey of over 2,000 locals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi reveals that 87 percent of women and girls have experienced sexual harassment in a public space.
Discussing what factors make cities safer, journalists and gender experts agreed that factors such as trees, public lighting, transport culture and housing quality are all important. But, they agreed, the most important factor is public awareness.
"In Vietnam, awareness about what sexual harassment is and identifying sexual harassment is very poor," said Huu Viet, a journalist from the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper said.
Nguyen Van Anh, director of the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender-Family-Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), said that it is necessary to educate people who are vulnerable to harassment about how to defend themselves, as well as make people who violate others understand that it is a crime with consequences.
In 2013, Hanoi and HCM City installed parts of the programme. Cameras were placed in public busses in HCM City in an effort to mitigate acts of sexual harassment and other crimes.
This year's programme will take place in Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Phong, Uong Bi, and Tra Vinh.
Several awareness-raising activities such as street music festivals, a cycling race and banners on buses will take place in the cities.-VNA
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A code of conduct to prevent sexual harassment at work was made public at a seminar in Hanoi on May 25 by the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs in coordination with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
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The programmes have brought about positive changes to rural infrastructure, comprehensively improved the material and spiritual lives of farmers, and contributed to Vietnam's economic restructuring, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.
The festival highlighted the contributions and robust development of Vietnam's revolutionary press over the past century while promoting press products and showcasing the creativity of Vietnamese journalists.
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Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai highlighted the growing demand for Vietnamese workers in Kyushu, especially in Fukuoka, Oita, and Saga prefectures. Currently, the region employs about 35,000 Vietnamese manual workers and over 5,000 IT engineers.
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At a review conference held on June 21, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh praised the province’s scientific, coordinated, and flexible approach. He noted that the early completion reflects the strong commitment of local authorities, the business community, philanthropists, and residents in improving housing conditions for disadvantaged groups.
The VNA delegation, led by General Director Vu Viet Trang, actively participated in the event, engaging in both professional and diplomatic activities.
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Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
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Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
A discussion on safe cities for women was held in Hanoi on October 22 (Photo: VNA)
