Despite many efforts, gender-based violence is still a problem everywhere every day, including Viet Nam and remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world today. It knows no social, economic or national boundaries. One in three women globally has experienced some form of violence, physical or mental, sexual or economic abuse at some points in their lives. Here in Viet Nam, the National Study on Domestic Violence against Women, released by the General Statistics Office, under the coordination of UNFPA in Viet Nam in 2010, showed that 58 per cent of ever-married women had experienced at least one of three forms of violence (physical, mental or sexual) at some point in their lives. Approximately 50% of victims did not tell anyone about the violence they endured, and 87% did not seek help from public services.

Over the past weeks, as economic and social pressures and fear have grown in relation to COVID-19 we have seen a horrifying global surge in domestic violence. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam explains how this can be done to address this issue in this in-depth interview with VTC10.

UNFPA, the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, works in Viet Nam and over 150 other countries globally to achieve zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and other harmful practices against women and girls - a vision enshrined in the Programme of Action stemming from the landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). To learn more about our response to COVID-19, visit www.unfpa.org/covid19 To support our lifesaving work amid the pandemic, visit https://donate.unfpa.org/th-en/covid-19