Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese women and children in Malaysia

On October 20, the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia organized a ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Women's Union and the 8th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese Language Club in Malaysia.

The program attracted the attention of thousands of women living and working in Malaysia, with the highlight being the Forum "Protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese women and children in Malaysia".

Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh (right) presents a Certificate of Merit to Ms. Tran Thi Chang (left), President of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Tran Thi Chang - President of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association (MVFA), said that about 30% of the more than 30,000 Vietnamese people living and working in the area are Vietnamese women married to local people.

Most of them are hard-working, successful people who contribute to Malaysian society.

However, there are also many unfortunate fates due to lack of information about the law, language barriers... when facing family incidents such as husband's death, violence or being cheated, women often silently endure or do not know how to protect their own legal rights.

Understanding the thoughts and aspirations of women, MVFA invited lawyers and officials with responsibilities related to this issue in Malaysia to attend the forum to answer these questions. This is also an opportunity to raise awareness of women, helping them to be more confident and integrate better into the host country.

During the 90-minute forum, questions from women were continuously sent to the program. Procedures for marriage and divorce with a Malaysian, child nationality, child custody, etc. were explained in detail and easily understood by the lawyer.

Regarding the right to custody and bring the child back to Vietnam when the husband refuses to divorce, the lawyer said that the mother should learn more about Vietnamese law and consult lawyers from both countries before making a decision.

Lawyer Selvarajaa Chinniah - a lawyer specializing in foreigners, said that the mother should not bring her child back to Vietnam without a court decision.

At the forum, issues such as violence, labor abuse, and sexual abuse in the workplace were also mentioned. According to Ms. Hirdawati Mohd Isa - Police Chief in charge of women and children protection, when Vietnamese women encounter the above problems, they should boldly go to the nearest police station to report and receive bail and protection from Malaysian law enforcement agencies.

Currently, Malaysia has shelters to protect these cases. In addition, people needing help can call the hotline number 999 or 15999 for support.

However, to receive support, workers in general and women in particular need to note that they must be legal workers, have a labor contract and a work visa before entering Malaysia.

Attending and speaking after the Forum on Protection of the Legitimate Rights and Interests of Vietnamese Women and Children in Malaysia ended, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Dinh Ngoc Linh highly appreciated the initiative of MVFA in organizing the event. The Ambassador said that the event has brought more trust and attachment to the members of the association as well as Vietnamese people living in the host country.

The event is also an opportunity to share and promote the sentiments of the people of the two countries. The Ambassador expressed his belief that MVFA will continue to promote its role in social activities, create cohesion and build a sustainable community, promoting gender equality.

The Ambassador affirmed that the Embassy always creates conditions and accompanies MVFA because the Vietnamese community abroad is an inseparable part of the Vietnamese ethnic community.

On this occasion, the Ambassador also sent wishes of health and happiness to all women on Vietnamese Women's Day October 20.

A performance by the Youth Club - Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association.

The event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Women's Union and the 8th anniversary of the Vietnamese Club in Malaysia also received contributions from the First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy, ​​Mr. Le Ngoc Toan; Principal of the Lao-Vietnamese Bilingual School Nguyen Du, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong; Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy Van, lecturer at Phu Yen University; teacher Nguyen Thi Lien, head of the Vietnamese Club in Malaysia.

Within the framework of the event honoring women on October 20, ao dai designer Vinh Quang presented a collection called “Vietnamese Soul”. The performance received praise from many women and foreigners attending the program.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bao-ve-quyen-va-loi-ich-hop-phap-cua-phu-nu-va-tre-em-viet-nam-tai-malaysia-290850.html