It is estimated that 32% of married women nationwide experience physical violence during their lifetime, with 10% enduring sexual violence, and 54% being subject to emotional abuse, according to the results of a national study conducted on domestic violence.

This comes as the Women's Union based in the central city of Da Nang, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (UN Women) in Vietnam, held a conference on November 28 to review a community-based project to tackle violence against women and girls.

The study outlined that violence causes victims to suffer serious consequences, including physical trauma, dangerous reproductive health problems, depression, and even death or suicidal thoughts in some cases.

The implementation of the project since 2018 has attracted the involvement of over 8,000 people, 40% of whom are men, for the purpose of increasing capacity building for the wider community to champion the cause of violence prevention.

Hoang Thi Thu Huong, chairwoman of the Danang Women's Union, said that three years on from the project being implemented, the lessons learned and the success of the programme have served to significantly contribute to promoting policies and schemes set up to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Elisa Feznandes, chief representative of UN Women in Vietnam, expressed her great appreciation for the results of the programme which indicate that the project has become a pilot model for violence prevention in the country.

Ending violence against women and girls requires the active participation of men who are capable of creating changes that allow people in the community to gain a greater understanding of the harmful consequences of violence against women and children that is unacceptable, the UN official emphasised.