On October 17, the Ministry of Public Security informed about the Training Workshop on Gender-Sensitive Investigation in Cases of Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking, organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs - Ministry of Public Security in coordination with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
The workshop is part of UN Women’s End Violence Against Women Program. This is the second consecutive year that the Department of Foreign Affairs has coordinated with UN Women to implement this program.
At the workshop, experts and delegates exchanged many practical experiences related to principles, methods of supporting and protecting victims of violence and trafficking; gender-sensitive investigation steps in cases of violence against women and human trafficking.
Through case studies, delegates had the opportunity to learn about the issue of gender-based violence against women and children and why “gender-sensitive surveys” are needed.
In Vietnam, according to data from the National Study on Violence Against Women, gender-based violence costs the Vietnamese economy up to 1.8% of GDP, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
However, 90% of cases of violence against women by husbands and boyfriends are silent. Women do not dare to report or speak up to seek justice for themselves because the investigation and prosecution procedures are not yet "gender sensitive".
Therefore, the Ministry of Public Security believes that it is necessary to ensure the principle of "taking victims as the center", prioritizing their safety and practical needs, and not allowing women to be condemned, criticized and blamed for being victims of violence and human trafficking.
Since 2022, the Ministry of Public Security has coordinated with UN Women to develop two sets of related documents and organize four training workshops for 166 police officers from units and 62 localities.
Following the success of this series of activities, in 2024, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam will continue to coordinate with UN Women to implement similar workshops, expanding the target audience and number of local police officers, who are frontline officers, playing an important role in preventing gender-based violence and human trafficking.
