The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have formally agreed to put a stop to gender-based violence and harmful practices directed at women and girls in Vietnam.

Cho Han Deog, country director of KOICA Vietnam, and Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA representative for Vietnam, signed in Hanoi on Friday a grant arrangement under which KOICA will provide financial support of US$250,000 for the UN agency, both sides said in a joint press release issued the same day.  

KOICA and UNFPA have thus been committed to undertaking ‘bridge-phase’ activities to ensure the sustainability of the innovative One Stop Service Center model, which is commonly known as ‘Anh Duong House’ in Vietnam.  

It was first estabslihed in 2020 through the KOICA-funded project ‘Building a model to respond to violence against women and girls in Vietnam’ for the 2017-21 period, with a total budget of $2.5 million.

The grant deal aims to continue supporting Anh Duong House and its hotline for victims of violence, and to organize outreach communication activities and advocacy efforts to sustain and replicate the model in other locations.

The arrangement covers a bridge phase through 2023, when a new and larger project is expected to be launched.

UNFPA will work in partnership with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and northern Quang Ninh Province to implement the activities to ensure the continuous provision of integrated essential services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Cho stressed that during his recent visit to Anh Duong House in Quang Ninh, he observed how the facility has effectively provided support for and helped vulnerable women and girls.

“KOICA has decided to continue supporting Anh Duong House in Quang Ninh as it has made significant contributions to the efforts made by the Vietnamese government and by the local authorities of Quang Ninh to address gender-based violence and domestic violence,” he said.

“We want this model to be replicated in other locations.

“At KOICA, we embrace a zero-tolerance culture that says ‘No’ to any forms of GBV.”

Anh Duong House became fully operational in April 2020, providing a wide range of services meeting international standards, including healthcare, psychological support, counselling, social welfare services, emergency shelters, police protection, legal and justice services, and referrals for many GBV survivors, not only in Quang Ninh Province but also in 20 cities and provinces throughout Vietnam.

Its hotline service, which is available 24/7, has received more than 15,300 calls so far.

Most survivors of violence who have called the hotline are female, accounting for 93.6 percent, and most GBV survivors are aged 16–59.

Minors under the age of 16 make up 10 percent of the calls. About 20 percent of the calls came from Quang Ninh Province and 80 percent from other provinces.

Nearly 500 service providers from police, justice, health, and social work from both provincial and grassroots levels in Quang Ninh received training for the provision of essential services for GBV survivors.

With technical support from UNFPA, Anh Duong House has been duplicated in north-central Thanh Hoa Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and central Da Nang City.

In her remarks at the signing event, Naomi thanked KOICA, and Cho in particular, for the support given to Anh Duong House.

“The signing of the grant arrangement today reflects KOICA’s trust in UNFPA,” she said.

“UNFPA will make sure that the funds from KOICA will be used effectively.

“UNFPA will continue to work closely with our Vietnamese partners to implement the bridge-phase activities of the ‘Building a model to respond to violence against women and girls in Vietnam’ project at the national level and in Quang Ninh Province.

“’Zero GBV and harmful practices’ is one of the three main pillars in the new UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2022-25, and a clear priority for UNFPA Vietnam’s new country program for 2022-26.

“UNFPA will scale up efforts to end gender-based violence and harmful practices in Vietnam.”

During the bridge phase through the end of June 2023, eight training courses will be organized for managerial staff and service providers in Quang Ninh and locations which are planned for setting up additional One Stop Service Centers.

Two one-day advocacy workshops will be held for decision-makers in Quang Ninh as well as at the central level to advocate the allocation of the budget for maintaining and replicating the One Stop Service Center model.

Five innovative communication events will be arranged to raise public awareness of violence against women and girls and disseminate information on the hotline of Anh Duong House.

According to the 2019 national study on violence against women, nearly two in three women aged 15-64 experienced at least one form of physical, sexual, psychological and/or economic violence in their lifetime. Gender-based violence is very much hidden in society, as more than 90 percent did not seek any help from public services and half of the women who experienced violence told no one about it.  

It is costing Vietnam 1.81 percent of GDP.

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