Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 11th, the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs, in conjunction with UN Women, launched the 2025 Month of Action on Gender Equality and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence, themed "Gender Equality and Women and Children's Safety in the Digital Age."
At the ceremony, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha stated that Vietnam is one of the leading countries in the region in narrowing the gender gap. According to the Global Governance Forum's Gender Equality and Governance Index report, Vietnam ranked 39th out of 158 countries in 2024, up 32 places from 2022. The proportion of female parliamentary representatives reached 30.26%, higher than the world and regional averages. An increasing number of Vietnamese female entrepreneurs and leaders have gained recognition from the World Economic Forum, fully demonstrating Vietnam's positive achievements in promoting gender equality. Gender equality and empowering women are among the three Millennium Development Goals that Vietnam was among the first to achieve.
Nguyen Thi Ha believes that while digital transformation brings opportunities, it also presents numerous new challenges, such as gender bias and new forms of gender-based violence in cyberspace, including fraud, deception, verbal harassment, insults, the dissemination of sensitive images or videos, extortion, and cyber kidnapping. These behaviors are becoming increasingly covert and difficult to control, making women and girls the primary victims and most vulnerable group.
According to a 2021 study conducted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Home Affairs), among the 89% of children aged 12 to 17 who use the internet, 87% go online daily, but only 36% understand how to protect their personal information.
Based on this reality, the Ministry of Home Affairs chose "Gender Equality and Women and Children's Safety in the Digital Age" as the theme for this year's Action Month, emphasizing the crucial role of cross-departmental and cross-sectoral cooperation in achieving gender equality and preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
Nguyen Thi Ha called on ministries, local governments, and international organizations to increase resource investment and technical support, organize diverse activities, disseminate positive messages, raise public awareness of the roles and status of women and girls, and simultaneously enhance cybersecurity awareness.
“As Vietnam moves toward its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045, its digital transformation must be inclusive, safe, and empowering for all, especially women and girls,” said Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam. She recommended incorporating a gender perspective into digital policies and strategies, bridging the digital skills gap, providing digital literacy training for women and girls, encouraging female students to participate in STEM fields, and promoting multilateral cooperation among governments, the UN, schools, and the private sector to build a safe digital ecosystem. The UN pledged to continue serving as a partner and bridge for Vietnam, supporting Vietnam in achieving a safe, equitable, and dignified digital future. (End)
