The project was announced in Hanoi on March 15, with the aim of increasing financial capacity to reduce domestic violence. It will also help increase public awareness.

The project gives a new approach to prevent domestic violence in Vietnam, said Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa, head of the Vietnam Women’s Union. “Most victims of domestic violence are women, so the Vietnam Women’s Union considers protecting women as its major task,” she said. “The Union has organised many activities to fight domestic violence and cooperate with local police to deal with violations.”

The two-year project is divided into two phases, with the first to be carried out at the central level and in four provinces and cities namely Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Kon Tum and Can Tho. Under the project, officers of local women’s unions will be provided with various ways to mobilise financial sources and get better knowledge of the law on domestic violence.

Benito Alvarez Fernadez, chief representative of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development in Vietnam, stressed the need to apply a new comprehensive approach to ensure gender equality in Vietnam.