Gender equality – the key to domestic violence ending

In pursuit of gender equality and gender-based violence prevention, in the past years, departments, agencies and localities in the province have established many models and clubs of family happiness, gender equality, and reliable addresses so as to change the perception of society and families to determine gender equality as the key to end violence, contributing to safe, healthy, equitable and happy social community.

Members of Hiep Thanh Ward Club of Family Happiness in Thu Dau Mot City meet on regular basis. Photo: T. Ly

Effectiveness of clubs of family happiness

Hiep Thanh Ward in Thu Dau Mot City has been described as a ward of happiness by the number of low and even almost nonexistent divorce cases and domestic violence. Achieving the above results was thanks to the effectiveness of the local club of family happiness. The club was rated the best performance among the 16 clubs launched by the Thu Dau Mot City Association of Women. Vo Thi Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of Hiep Thanh Ward Association of Women, said that in May 5-2013, the association coordinated the development of the clubs of family happiness and received enthusiastic response from all members. Up to now, the model has covered the streets in the ward, attracting large families to participate. Members of the club are also active advocates for family work.

The club organizes a variety of enrichment programs such as health education, parenting for women, guidance of the Marriage and Family Law, measures and ways to prevent domestic violence, legal aid, experience to become a woman of "self-confident, self-esteem, loyal, secure". After many years of implementation, the club has been promoted effectively in building warm, happy, and progressive families. Families focus on raising their children to grow up instead of being influenced by false social ideas.

Club Family Happiness is not only a place bringing joy, laughter and life sharing experiences but also a place for help of hard-working members to overcome difficulties and stabilize their life. For example, Club Family Happiness in Tan Dinh Commune of Bac Tan Uyen District. The club currently has 49 members. Depending on the conditions of each family, members contribute around the capital resources to help one another. Le Kim Lien is a typical example that has been helped. During her first days in the club she encountered many difficulties due to business failure. Considering her situation, the members contribute to the loans without interest. Get the capital, she opened a cafeteria at home. Earning from the business, she has paid off the loan and her family life gradually stabilized.

Lien said: "Thanks to the club I have more motivation to live, motivation to earn money. Since the club admission, I have seen a lot of changes in family life. Although life in conflict is inevitable, but thanks to the experience learned from the club we have behaviors more appropriate to each other and know how to handle the situation in a reasonable way. As family life becomes more fun, family members encourage one another to do business and study.

Efforts for gender equality

In addition to the nearly 60 clubs family happiness of over 1,500 members founded by the Association of Women, the province has built many models of domestic violence prevention and control, clubs of families of sustainable development, gender equality clubs, and domestic violence prevention clubs to offer reliable addresses in the community for family counseling and domestic violence prevention. According to Nguyen Ngoc Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, through the clubs, the pattern of most of the domestic violence cases was discovered making the basic family conflicts reconciled right from the start. Many clubs regularly consolidate and reform their activities in line with local realities and maintain regular and effective activities. Many localities have applied the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control in addition to the regulations of street population groups and expanded the domestic violence prevention and control models, contributing to the reduction of domestic violence.

In addition to the positive aspects, in fact, domestic violence still occurs everywhere in the province where the victims are mainly women. Specifically, in 2016, the number of domestic violence cases is 144 cases, of which over 92% of victims are women, cause many of them self-deprecating, not daring to fight to be equal with men.

Hang said that with the functions and tasks of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs the provincial People's Committee is actively advised to work out plans and guide its branches to implement the national target program on gender equality and domestic violence prevention. At the same time, the unit has strengthened many communication solutions to raise awareness and change behavior on gender equality; to implement gender equality solutions in areas, regions and localities with gender inequalities or high-risk of gender inequality and domestic violence.

Reported by Thien Ly – Translated by Vi Bao

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