Replicating the One-Stop Service Center Model to Support Women and Girls Subject to Violence in Vietnam

On May 25, in Hanoi, the Workshop "Sharing experiences in operating and replicating the model of One-stop service center to support women and girls who are victims of violence in Vietnam" was held.

Hội thảo 'Chia sẻ kinh nghiệm trong việc vận hành và nhân rộng mô hình Trung tâm dịch vụ một cửa hỗ trợ phụ nữ và trẻ em gái bị bạo lực tại Việt Nam' ngày 25/5/tại Hà Nội. (Nguồn: UNFPA)

Workshop on 'Sharing experiences in operating and replicating the model of One-stop service center to support women and girls who are victims of violence in Vietnam' on May 25 in Hanoi. (Source: UNFPA)

The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This activity is part of the UNFPA Transition Phase Project: “Follow-up activities to the Project on Building a Model to Respond to Violence Against Women and Girls in Vietnam, to be implemented from July 2022 to June 2023” funded by KOICA. The project aims to ensure the sustainability of the One-Stop Service Center model, or “Sunshine House”, in Vietnam.

The first One-Stop Service Center for Women and Girls Subject to Violence - Anh Duong House was established in Quang Ninh in April 2020 through the project "Building a model to respond to violence against women and girls in Vietnam" funded by KOICA, period 2017-2021 with a total budget of 2.5 million USD.

After more than 2 years of establishment and operation, the model has affirmed its effectiveness and superiority in providing support services for victims of gender-based violence.

At the workshop, delegates shared difficulties as well as experiences, approaches and proposed solutions and initiatives to improve service quality, operation and replication of the One-Stop Service Center model to support women and girls who are victims of violence in Vietnam.

Appreciating the effectiveness and necessity of this model, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha emphasized that in recent times, Vietnam has always made efforts in implementing measures to promote gender equality and prevent and respond to gender-based violence, especially violence against women and girls.

With the perspective of putting victims of violence at the center of service provision, discussing solutions to replicate the One-Stop Service Center model such as Sunshine House is very necessary and important, in order to support victims of gender-based violence to access comprehensive, essential and quality services.

"To do this requires the participation of all levels, sectors, agencies and organizations, especially there must be an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism between agencies in supporting victims of gender-based violence," Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha emphasized.

Gender-based violence is a manifestation of gender inequality that is deeply rooted in Vietnamese society. According to the 2019 UNFPA-supported National Survey on Violence Against Women, nearly 2 in 3 women aged 15-64 have experienced at least one form of physical, sexual, psychological and/or economic violence in their lifetime.

Gender-based violence remains a hidden problem, with more than 90% of survivors not seeking help from public services, and half of women who have experienced violence not telling anyone about it. Gender-based violence is causing significant damage to the Vietnamese economy, estimated at 1.81% of GDP.

In 2022, three more Sunshine Houses will be established in Thanh Hoa province, Da Nang city and Ho Chi Minh city with financial support from the Japanese Government. The operating costs will then be covered by funding from the Australian Government.

Ánh Dương House provides essential, comprehensive and integrated services to women and girls who are experiencing or at risk of gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence. Ánh Dương House provides a range of services that meet international standards, including medical care, psychological support, counselling, social services, emergency shelter, police protection, legal and justice services, and referral services.

All services provided at the One Stop Service Center are based on the principle of victim-centeredness, where the victim is respected and their dignity is protected, while their privacy and confidentiality are guaranteed.

Mr. Cho Han Deog, Country Director of KOICA Vietnam, said that KOICA highly appreciated the effectiveness of the One-Stop Service Center model in Vietnam. At the same time, he thanked UNFPA for providing technical and financial support to ensure the availability and accessibility of support services provided by Sunshine House.

Mr. Cho Han Deog affirmed: “KOICA considers gender equality an integrated content in its official development assistance programs and projects. KOICA, UNFPA and the Government of Vietnam have successfully implemented and completed the Project on Building a Model to Respond to Violence Against Women and Girls in Vietnam for the period 2016-2020".

According to Mr. Cho Han-Deog, within the framework of the project, the first One-Stop Service Center - Sunshine House was built in Quang Ninh province in 2020 to provide integrated support services for victims of gender-based violence in Vietnam. The model has been successful in bringing hope to victims of violence, so KOICA is willing to continue investing an additional 5 million USD to replicate the model in Ha Tinh and Khanh Hoa provinces in the coming years.

Vận hành và nhân rộng mô hình Trung tâm dịch vụ một cửa hỗ trợ phụ nữ và trẻ em gái bị bạo lực tại Việt Nam

Flowchart of the service provision framework for survivors of gender-based violence at Anh Duong House in Quang Ninh province. (Photo: Thu Trang)

Representatives of 4 Sunshine Houses said that service providers at the One-Stop Service Centers have to work very hard to meet the support needs of local people, especially women and girls.

To date, 4 Ánh Dương Houses have directly supported more than 60 victims of GBV at Ánh Dương Houses and nearly 1,100 victims of gender-based violence in the community. In addition, the Ánh Dương Houses hotline has received, counseled and supported more than 20,000 calls from victims of violence.

Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, emphasized that the introduction of the One-Stop Service Center model aims to detect and prevent acts of violence and provide support to victims of violence.

“Although the 4 Sunshine Houses are operating effectively, the need for support for GBV survivors remains high. Therefore, UNFPA calls for replicating this safe and reliable support facility model to other provinces and cities across the country,” noted Ms. Naomi Kitahara.

In Viet Nam, UNFPA wants to ensure that all women and girls in Viet Nam, including the most vulnerable, have the right to live a life free from violence and human dignity. Women and girls will not be left behind in the efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”

Discussing at the Workshop, delegates agreed that the replication of the One-Stop Service Center model is completely consistent with the law and current policies and priorities of Vietnam in the prevention and response to gender-based violence and domestic violence, emphasizing the need for coordination and participation of relevant agencies in implementing support activities for victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence.

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