Vietnam launches a new project to strengthen capacity for preventing and responding to domestic violence in the digital age
WVR - On November 25, Vietnam officially launched a new two-year project titled “Building capacity to prevent and respond to domestic violence, 2025–2026”.
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| Overview of the project launch event 'Building capacity to prevent and respond to domestic violence, 2025–2026', November 25, in Hanoi. (Photo: Thu Trang) |
The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam, with financial support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The project aims to strengthen Vietnam’s domestic violence prevention and response systems in line with the amended 2022 Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control and its implementing regulations.
The launch event brought together nearly 100 representatives from ministries, provincial authorities, development partners, civil society organisations and the media. The ceremony coincides with the International Day for the elimination of violence against women (November 25), the beginning of the global 16 Days of Activism, and Vietnam’s National Action Month on gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response.
Domestic violence, particularly violence against women and girls, continues to be a pressing concern in Viet Nam. Findings from the 2019 National Study on violence against women show that nearly 63% of women have experienced at least one form of violence by a husband or intimate partner in their lifetime, and 31.6% in the past 12 months. The economic cost of intimate partner violence amounts to 1.81% of national GDP, with women losing, on average 26% of their annual income due to violence. Alarmingly, 90.4% of survivors do not seek help from formal services.
While Vietnam is undergoing rapid digital transformation, patterns of domestic violence are also evolving, with behaviours such as online harassment, digital stalking, threats, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images worryingly increasing. These online forms of abuse extend manipulation and coercion. This evolving landscape underscores the urgent need for stronger prevention, early reporting, and accessible survivor-centred support systems that address violence in all its forms. Violence in the digital world is just as harmful as violence in the real world.
The project, implemented by MOCST’s Department of Grassroots Culture, Family and Library, focuses on enhancing the capacities of service providers, strengthening inter-sectoral coordination, promoting safe digital practices, improving data and monitoring systems, and sustaining essential support services for survivors. It also aims to institutionalise and scale proven, evidence-based models.
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| Deputy Minister of the MOCST Trinh Thi Thuy. (Source: UNFPA) |
At the event, Deputy Minister of the MOCST Trinh Thi Thuy reaffirmed the Government’s commitment: “The amended 2022 Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control provides Vietnam with a strong legal foundation. However, laws alone are not enough. We must strengthen coordination, expand public communication, enhance service quality, and address the rapid rise of violence in digital spaces. This project, with UNFPA’s support and KOICA’s contribution, comes at a crucial time and will help us protect families, communities, and especially women and children more effectively.”
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| UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Matt Jackson emphasised the urgency of addressing both traditional and emerging forms of violence. (Source: UNFPA) |
UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Matt Jackson emphasised the urgency of addressing both traditional and emerging forms of violence: "Domestic violence remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations in many countries, including Vietnam. Addressing violence requires more than strong laws; it requires political will, societal action, digital literacy and sustained investment so that no survivor is left behind. UNFPA is proud to continue our 45-year partnership with the Government of Vietnam to build systems that protect every woman, girl and adolescent, in every space: at home, in the community and online.”
The project directly contributes to UNFPA’s global transformative result of zero violence against women and girls and aligns with the Country Programme priorities in Vietnam. It builds on more than a decade of close cooperation between MOCST and UNFPA in advancing the prevention and response to domestic violence.
UNFPA will continue to provide technical expertise, policy support and evidence-based models to help sustain the national three-digit hotline, strengthen multi-sectoral coordination, scale successful models across provinces, and enhance Vietnam’s capacity to respond to TFGBV.
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| Signing ceremony for project implementation cooperation. (Source: UNFPA) |
