A workshop is being held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN Women in Hanoi on October 2 and 3 to enhance capacity for diplomats in protecting female migrant workers from violence.

Melissa Alvarado, Ending Violence against Women (EVAW)
Regional Programme Manager at UN Women, speaks at the event 

Over 100 diplomats, most of whom will work in Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, attended the training workshop on response to violence against female migrant workers as part of efforts to protect rights, safety and dignity of Vietnamese female labourers working overseas. It is expected to contribute to promoting legal migration and Vietnam’s management of international migration.

The workshop is held within the framework of the programme “Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region,” to ensure female migrant workers in ASEAN are free from gender-based violence and enjoy decent work.

The Safe and Fair programme will help Vietnam enhance legal and policy frameworks on migrant workers, including those related to combating violence against women migrant workers and human trafficking, said Koen Duchateau, Head of the Cooperation Section of the European Union Delegation to Vietnam.

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

Melissa Alvarado, Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) Regional Programme Manager at UN Women, said many women migrant workers face multiple difficulties overseas, particularly becoming more vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation in all stages of the migration process. They often do not know where to seek help or there may be no support services available at the place or the time they need or in the language they can understand, she said.

Without access to essential services, women migrant workers are more vulnerable to labour exploitation and confront violence risks, said Chang-Hee Lee, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Vietnam Director.

The workshop is introducing to the attendees concepts about 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 Safe and Fair programme is part of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, implemented through the ILO and UN Women, to end female trafficking and labour exploitation.