Vietnam attends lawyers congress in Belgium

The meeting provides an opportune occasion for participants to delve into the legal intricacies of domestic laws and regulations governing social issues, international commerce, and international humanitarian law, including the protection of the rights of war victims to compensatory damages.

Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) Nguyen Van Rinh emphasised that the US army sprayed nearly 80 million litres of defoliants, 61% of which was Agent Orange/Dioxin over southern Vietnam during the past war.

Nearly 4.8 million Vietnamese people have been exposed to the toxic chemical and more than 3 million people have died or suffered from severe disabilities as a result of contact with the deadly poison.

Rinh called on participants to support Vietnamese AO victims and raise their voices in opposition to those responsible for the irreparable harm to millions of Vietnamese people, demanding obligatory compensation for victims.

Rinh said he hopes that he can spark a fire in the hearts of people around the world to unite in fighting against chemical warfare and passionately support the plight of Vietnamese AO victims.

At the opening ceremony, IADL President Jeanne Mirear said the congress provided a forum for participants to share experience in setting up a global solidarity network to support its members, including Turkey, Colombia and the Philippines.

She spoke admirably of Vietnam’s initiatives to organise sidelines activities, such as a seminar on AO in Vietnam, and a forum to call for AO victims’ rights to live.

Participants at the forum discussed rights to peace and crisis, the Palestine situation, violation of international law, labour and trade union rights, rights of immigrants, and fighting against racial discrimination, as well as the struggle for gender equality.