The Current Situation and Causes of Domestic Violence in Vietnam

Abstract

In recent years, domestic violence has become an issue of concern to the whole world and Vietnam. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has again sparked a wave of anger from public opinion. The results of the National Violence Against Women Survey conducted by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the General Statistics Office, and the United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam in 2019 revealed a 31,6 % of women experiencing at least one form of violence in the past 12 months. Nearly 1 in 3 women (32%) experienced physical or sexual violence from their husbands. In 2019, domestic violence against women caused a loss of 1.8 % of GDP (+0.2% compared to 2012) (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, GSO, UNFPA, 2020). Domestic violence comes from many different causes and leaves extremely serious physical, mental, and economic consequences not only to the victims but also directly affects families and the whole society. Based on secondary sources, the article overviews the current situation and causes of domestic violence in Vietnam over the past 10 years.