International conference on feminism, gender and law takes place in Ho Chi Minh City

The ICFGL 2026 was held at the University of Economics and Law (UEL) by UEL in cooperation with the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS).

The conference featured a plenary session and 11 parallel sessions covering feminist legal history; family law, inheritance and property rights; domestic violence, sexual offences and criminal law; labor law, care work and economic rights; reproductive rights, bodily autonomy and health law; and LGBTQ+ rights, gender identity and inclusive family models.

The sessions also focused on digital rights, artificial intelligence and privacy; international trade, investment and feminist economic law; intersectionality, indigenous peoples and marginalized communities; environmental law and climate justice; and feminist law-making methods, according to UEL.

At the plenary session, Prof. Rosemary Hunter of Loughborough University in the UK analyzed challenges in developing, implementing and maintaining feminist law.

According to Hunter, feminist lawmaking should reflect the diverse experiences and circumstances of women, requiring broad consultation and efforts to reconcile different feminist perspectives.

It is also necessary to consider whether traditional legal forms are capable of bringing about transformative change or should be combined with other approaches, she said.

During the implementation stage, laws may be misinterpreted or applied in ways that depart from their original objectives, Hunter said, stressing the importance of training judges and law enforcers.

Implementation should take into account the legal and cultural context and the broader reform process, while ensuring adequate resources and allowing pilot programs before wider application.

At the maintenance stage, feminist legislation needs to be regularly tested and assessed for its impacts and potential unintended consequences, Hunter said.

Public discussion, social consultation and networks of partners and allies are also needed to protect and sustain legislative achievements, she added.

Drawing on the Australian experience, Assoc. Prof. Becky Batagol of Monash University introduced the Feminist Legislation Project, which seeks to reimagine and rebuild parliamentary law to promote gender justice, protect the rights and interests of women and gender-diverse groups, and advance legal reform in practice.

The project combines requirements for feasibility and accuracy in legislative drafting with approaches such as 'imagination as a legal method' and 'skeptical pragmatism,' while emphasizing collaboration.

Its key principles include recognizing diversity and the intersectionality of gender experiences, respecting Indigenous rights, listening to people with lived experience and ensuring inclusion of gender-diverse groups, according to Batagol.

The project also emphasizes the use of plain, gender-inclusive language and the incorporation of feminist principles and objectives into the drafting and interpretation of laws.

Its draft bills focus on four broad areas: bodies, sexuality and autonomy; care work and dependency; diversity, dignity and freedom; and labor, exploitation and power.

Speaking at the conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Vu Nam, vice president of UEL, said promoting gender equality and enhancing women's status is a consistent policy of Vietnam's Party and State, reflected in the 2013 Constitution, the 2006 Law on Gender Equality and the National Strategy on Gender Equality for 2021-30.

Gender equality is not only a matter of women's rights but also an essential part of social progress and sustainable development, Nam said.

However, gaps remain between legal principles and practice, he noted.

Changes in family structures, urbanization, digital transformation and the development of artificial intelligence are creating new challenges related to family care work, access to employment and preventing discrimination in modern workplaces, Nam said.

Organized every two years by UEL in cooperation with RLS since 2021, the ICFGL serves as an academic forum connecting feminist legal theory with the drafting and implementation of policies, according to the organizers.