Diplomats provided with knowledge to protect female migrant workers from violence

The diplomats are gathering at a training seminar held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN Women in Hanoi on October 2 and 3. The majority of them will soon join the Vietnamese missions abroad.

The workshop aims to improve the capacity of diplomats in the protection of Vietnamese citizens, especially female migrant workers who are victims of violence. It is expected to help ensure the rights, safety and dignity of migrant workers in general and female migrant workers in particular, contributing to the promotion of legal and safe migration, as well as promoting Vietnam’s effective international migration management.

Speaking at the opening, Vu Viet Anh, Head of the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that in migration management, protecting the legal rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens abroad is a top priority and also an important task in the ministry’s function regarding the State management on foreign affairs.

According to Koen Duchateau, Head of the Development and Cooperation Section under the European Union (EU) Delegation to Vietnam, the implementation of the Safe and Fair programme would help Vietnam enhance legal and policy frameworks on migrant workers, including those related to combating violence against women migrant workers and human trafficking.

The seminar will provide an opportunity for attendees to discuss and put forward solutions to eliminate violence against migrant women when they work abroad, he added.

It introduces participants the concepts related to gender, gender-based violence, migration issues, human trafficking prevention in Vietnam and protection of Vietnamese citizens abroad as well as skills to respond to violence against women migrant workers.

The event is part of the “Safe and Fair: Realising women migrant workers' rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region” programme under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative which targets to eliminate violence against women and girls. Implemented through the cooperation between the International Labour Organisation and UN Women in collaboration with the UNODC, the programme aims to ensure safe and equal labour migration for all women in ASEAN.