English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

A Gendered and Rights-Based Review of Vietnamese Legal Documents through the Lens of CEDAW
Recommendations: It is suggested that a legal document focus particularly on
access to health, most especially maternal health care of women in rural areas, and
remote and mountainous regions, and ethnic minority women. It must include: (a)
intensifying the work on establishing outreach health-care services, including mobile
teams; (b) targeting infrastructure development, especially more accessible maternity
and women’s health-care centres for these regions and women; (c) designating a
specific office to advise and provide technical skills on providing health-care services
for these regions and women; and (d) monitoring and evaluating interventions
consistently. In relation to information dissemination activities, it should target both
men and women. In all cases, knowledge and behavior change in women must be
completed by knowledge and behavioral change in men as well.
In relation to the National Strategy on Nutrition, although it targets mothers to seek to
raise nutrition of, and eradicate malnutrition in, the family, it should always consider that the
State policy is that child-rearing is a shared responsibility. Therefore, fathers should also be
equipped with knowledge and skills on nutrition - bearing in mind that it is mothers who usually
entrusted with family care and nutrition - this will then include situations of families where the
primary care is provided by the father; for example, where the mother has passed away. It has
been emphasized repeatedly by GR 24 that health-care interventions must have a life cycle
approach. 599 Hence, emphasis must also be placed on ensuring the right to proper nutrition
for girls, especially as one of the ways to ensure safe pregnancy and motherhood is to ensure
that proper nutrition is provided at the earliest possible stage.
Recommendation: Strategies on nutrition in particular those referring to ensuring
family and child nutrition should include fathers, without losing sight of the fact that it
is mothers who are entrusted with family care and nutrition.
In relation to the Decree on Childbirth, it is suggested that a definition of ‘surrogacy’ be
provided. This will ensure that there is sufficient notice on the conduct that is prohibited. Also,
the Decree on Childbirth must provide that no de facto discrimination occurs in relation to
single women, whether unmarried, divorced or widowed, wanting childbirth by scientific
methods on account of such status.
Recommendations: A definition of ‘surrogacy’ must be provided in the Decree on
Childbirth or its supplementary documents. Clear provisions must be stipulated on
prohibiting discrimination against single women, whether unmarried, divorced or
widowed, who want childbirth by scientific methods on account of such status.
Indicator 88
Is there legislation addressing women living with HIV/AIDS and
other STIs
265
In 2006, it was reported that there have been 109,989 HIV-infection cases nationwide,
of which AIDS cases amount to 18,581. 600 Deaths resulting from AIDS amounted to 10,785 up
to then. The percentage of women is 15.21 percent, and the percentage of men is 84.79
599
GR 24, Paragraphs 2, 7 and 8
600
Responses to Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Report, p. 20
Health (Article 12 of CEDAW)