VZCZCXRO2541
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHHI #0749/01 1770717
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250717Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8066
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 4887
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000749 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, G/IWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KWMN PGOV VM
SUBJECT: GVN Discusses Domestic Violence Prevention 
 
REF: 07 HANOI 2011 
 
HANOI 00000749  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  During her June 9-11 meetings with GVN officials in 
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Andrea Bottner, Senior Coordinator, 
Office of International Women's Issues, highlighted progress and 
discussed challenges related to domestic violence in Vietnam.  Ms. 
Bottner praised the passage of legislation on gender equality and on 
prevention of domestic violence (reftel), shared resources, and 
encouraged continued attention to ongoing challenges.  Despite 
recent legislation and a solid commitment by officials to address 
the problem, effective prevention of domestic violence in Vietnam 
remains a long-term effort.  END SUMMARY. 
 
DV Law:  Passage and Implementation 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The Family Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and 
Tourism (MCST) has overall responsibility for coordinating the 
directives and decrees that must be drafted and signed for the Law 
on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control (DV Law), passed in 
November 2007, to go into effect on July 1, 2008.  Mr. Le Do Ngoc, 
Director General of the Family Department, explained that the Prime 
Minister's Directive, issued May 30, 2008, assigns implementation 
and enforcement tasks related to the DV Law to various ministries. 
Two guidance decrees - to be published by the GVN in July 2008, 
following comment by the Prime Minister's cabinet - will follow this 
Directive.  Mr. Ngoc noted that the two draft decrees, posted to the 
MCST website for public comment, are attracting a great deal of 
public interest. 
 
Rural Areas: A Particular Challenge 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Regarding the GVN's strategy to implement the DV law in 
isolated, rural areas, Mr. Ngoc conceded that reaching remote 
communities is challenging for all social services and noted the 
added dimension of the differing languages and cultural traditions 
of the numerous ethnic minorities throughout Vietnam.  GVN officials 
rely on local resources, he said, such as the Vietnam Women's Union 
(VWU) and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), to raise public 
awareness about domestic violence and provide training at local 
levels.  Mr. Ngoc emphasized the importance of the participation of 
local people, as ultimately domestic violence is an issue for the 
whole community. 
 
DV Law: A Legislative First 
--------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Mr. Dang Thanh Son, Deputy Director of Administration and 
Criminal Legislation Department, Ministry of Justice, told Ms. 
Bottner that the DV law was the first time a National Assembly 
committee took the lead in drafting a law, and sought input from 
various ministries, the VWU and VFF, as well as the UN and NGOs. 
Mr. Luong Phan Cu, Vice Chair of the National Assembly Committee on 
Social Affairs, confirmed that the DV law is stronger as a result of 
the joint effort, but revealed that consideration of the law in the 
National Assembly caused a heated debate.  Many National Assembly 
members expressed concern that the law would "interfere with" or 
"wreck" the unity of the family. 
 
¶5. (U) In terms of next steps, Mr. Son observed that many question 
the feasibility of implementing and enforcing the law.  The GVN is 
now drafting the sub-laws and regulations (decrees, circulars, 
directives, etc.) for implementation, sparking debates on the "how" 
of the law, including how to identify victims and report incidents. 
He cautioned that full implementation is likely to take a long time, 
given the sensitivity of the family issues involved. 
 
Changing Attitudes, Increasing Awareness 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Mr. Ngoc shared what was to become a familiar refrain during 
Ms. Bottner's visit:  domestic violence has long been considered a 
private family matter in Vietnam.  The inviolate nature of the 
family in Vietnamese culture and pressure on Vietnamese women to be 
agreeable and maintain harmony in the family combined with the 
society's acceptance of the husband's right to "correct" his wife 
and children through violence makes changing the attitudes of 
government officials and ordinary citizens an uphill battle. 
 
¶7. (U) While confirming his belief that domestic violence damages 
both families and society, Mr. Cu highlighted that Vietnam's 
Confucian culture makes it very difficult for victims to come 
forward as women often lack the self-confidence to make their abuse 
public and there is insufficient social support to help them when 
they do.  While HCMC's domestic violence hotline received over one 
hundred calls in the past year, People's Council Chairwoman Pham 
Phuong Thao admitted that many women "suffer in silence" either 
because they assume the blame for their own abuse or because they 
 
HANOI 00000749  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
are skeptical about the efficacy of outside support networks. 
 
¶8. (SBU) When HCMC government officials discussed cases of domestic 
violence where they had intervened to stop abuse, it was clear the 
ultimate goal was reunification of the families and reconciliation 
between couples.  Most asserted that reconciliation should be the 
primary goal, complicating the development of a formal shelter 
system for domestic violence victims who wish to leave an abusive 
family situation.  Several officials blamed domestic violence on 
external factors, like poverty, economic changes, alcoholism and 
conflicts with in-laws, rather than recognizing the behavioral 
issues and putting the appropriate blame on the abuser. 
 
¶9. (U) Ms. Bottner acknowledged that the hardest part of addressing 
domestic violence is changing cultural attitudes towards the 
problem.  Ms. Bottner explained that the impetus for change in the 
U.S. criminal justice system came from women who demanded the 
government address the issue, but there is still a continuing need 
for awareness and education about the issue. 
 
¶10. (U) Mr. Ngoc underscored improvements in public awareness of 
domestic violence as a societal problem.  Public awareness is the 
key activity in Vietnam's National Program of Action for Domestic 
Violence Prevention and Control, he explained.  MCST will conduct 
mass media campaigns twice a year and the VWU will undertake public 
awareness activities at local levels including providing training to 
local authorities. 
 
Role of Reconciliation Committees 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Mr. Ngoc emphasized that family reconciliation is 
fundamental to Vietnam's response to domestic violence.  Within a 
neighborhood or village, a reconciliation committee may offer its 
assistance in dispute mediation to families experiencing domestic 
violence.  Mr. Ngoc went on to suggest that the reconciliation 
committee should be the first recourse for a domestic violence 
victim; if the abuse worsens, then law enforcement authorities could 
become involved.  In either case, Mr. Ngoc stated that the incident 
should be reported to commune's People's Committee Chairman or other 
appropriate community leaders.  In Mr. Cu's view, a woman who finds 
herself the victim of domestic violence should choose whether to 
report directly to local authorities or to ask the reconciliation 
committee to step in.  While the DV law is unclear as to whether a 
response by the reconciliation committee or the local authorities 
will take precedence, Mr. Son confirmed that the implementing 
regulations will require community leaders to report cases of 
domestic violence to law enforcement authorities. 
 
¶12. (U) Ms. Bottner engaged GVN officials regarding the need for the 
entire community to play a role in solving the problem of domestic 
violence, explaining the U.S. coordinated community response model 
and suggesting ways in which this model might inform the GVN's 
response to domestic violence.  Vietnam's focus on the family lends 
itself well to the idea that a response to domestic violence 
requires coordination and cooperation among the entire community of 
service professionals - mental health counselors, medical 
professionals, government officials, officials from the justice 
sector, and police officers.  GVN officials were receptive to the 
overall concept, but cautioned that it would be some time before 
Vietnam could provide a level of coordinated services received by 
victims in the U.S. 
 
Shelters and Services for Victims 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) The DV Law specifies five types of support facilities for 
victims of domestic violence:  1) health clinics; 2) Social 
Protection Centers; 3) support centers; 4) Counseling Centers for 
the prevention and control of domestic violence; and 5) Reliable 
Addresses within the community.  Only the first two currently exist. 
 Social Protection Centers are government-run centers caring for 
orphans, the elderly, the disabled, and other groups in need.  The 
DV law requires these Centers to provide assistance to domestic 
violence victims, although their ability to do so is likely very 
limited. 
 
¶14. (U) Mr. Ngoc explained that "Reliable Addresses" are the 
residences of community leaders, such as the commune People's 
Committee Chairman, VFF representative or VWU representative.  These 
community leaders might also be reconciliation committee members 
assisting the couple in crisis.  Under the DV law, Reliable 
Addresses are to be designated by the commune People's Committee in 
coordination with the VFF and announced publicly so women know where 
to go if a shelter is not available or is too far away.  Mr. Son 
added that training will be provided for people in the network of 
Reliable Address on the dynamics of domestic violence and how to 
respond to reported cases. 
 
 
HANOI 00000749  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶15. (SBU) Vietnam continues to make solid progress on the prevention 
of and response to domestic violence, although entrenched cultural 
attitudes and the low level of public awareness about the issue mean 
that the GVN still has much work to do.  The theme of increased 
awareness, training and education continued throughout Ms. Bottner's 
meetings.  Other key challenges discussed include the difficulties 
in implementing the DV law in isolated rural areas; cultural 
sensitivities, including those of ethnic minority populations; and 
effective intergovernmental coordination as well as cooperation with 
non-governmental stakeholders. Although some GVN officials 
responsible for implementing the DV law still lack an understanding 
of the complex dynamics of domestic violence, officials generally 
expressed a willingness to learn more, along with a genuine desire 
to address the problem.  Ms. Bottner's visit was a key opportunity 
to highlight the importance of combating domestic violence with the 
GVN.  Post continues to receive positive feedback on the visit and 
highly appreciates G/IWI's engagement in Vietnam.  End comment. 
 
¶16. (U) This cable was jointly prepared with ConGen Ho Chi Minh City 
and cleared by G/IWI. 
 
ALOISI