87 percent of Vietnamese women admit to being sexually harassed: survey

Eighty-seven percent of women in Vietnam experience sexual harassment at least once in their life yet many refuse to look for help, according to findings of a national survey on domestic violence.

The statistic was announced by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Vietnam Ritsu Nacken during a policy forum on sexual violence against Vietnamese women and young girls in Hanoi on Wednesday.

The event was organized to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is observed annually on November 25, by the UNFPA, in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly under Resolution 54/134 to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are still subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence.

Eighty-seven percent of Vietnamese women have been sexually harassed in public, and 58 percent of married women in the country reportedly experience either physical or sexual violence from their spouses, Nacken said, citing findings from the national survey.

However, the majority of victims do not seek help due to a lack of social services that are designed to support them in such cases, experts said at the forum.

Many also choose to stay silent after experiencing abuses as they fear criticism and discrimination from the community, they added.

Vietnamese convention unintentionally contributes to the alarming increase in violence against women, Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam was quoted by newswire Dan Tri as saying.

Many measures to prevent it from happening and to advocate gender equality were suggested at the forum, including employing media to raise public awareness of sexual violence, encouraging victims and the community to raise voices against crimes against women, establishing social services specializing in helping the victims, and amending the law to bring offenders to justice.

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