Workshop discusses social protection for women and girls
(VOV) - The important of social protection to achieving full rights of women and girls is the main theme of an April 21 workshop held in Hanoi by Institute of Labour Sciences and Social Affairs (ILSSA), Minstry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the UN Women.
The event bought together over 60 participants, including policy makers, representatives from MOLISA, UN experts, bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as NGOs and media.
Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director General of ILSA stressed that social protection is an important instrument in creating more inclusive and sustainable development pathways. Assurance of employment and social protection system which have been established and developed in Vietnam has improved the lives of Vietnamese people, including women and girls.
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Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Country Representative in turn said notwithstanding significant progress in eliminating gender equality, gender bias and therefore serious gender gaps persist and this is manifested in women’s limited access to the labour market, where for the most part women are confined to more poorly remunerated, particularly in the informal economy, without access to social protection.
“Therefore we must acknowledge that social protection programs cannot be gender-blind. Gender differences in roles, responsibilities, need and interests must be taken into account in designing and implementing social protection schemes,” she added.
During the workshop, participants shared experience and information on the implementation of policies on social protection, especially policies and programs on social protection for women and girls.
Their comments and recommendations together with findings of the “National report on Social Protection for Women and Girls in Vietnam” which was conducted by ILSSA and UN Women in 2014 will provide evidence and practical experiences for Vietnam Government to improve responsive policies and programs on social protection.