English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

A Gendered and Rights-Based Review of Vietnamese Legal Documents through the Lens of CEDAW
In addition to the laws, decrees and directives, there are several plans and strategies
on HIV/AIDS. Primarily there is the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in
Viet Nam until 2010 with a Vision to 2020 (National Strategy on HIV/AIDS) pursuant to the
Decision No. 36/2004/QD-TTG of March 17, 2004 Approving the National Strategy on
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Viet Nam till 2010 with a vision to 2020. Among its specific
objectives is one that particularly pertains to women: that is, to ensure appropriate care and
treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, including 100 percent of pregnant mothers living
with HIV/AIDS. Care, treatment and counselling are also provided to 90 percent of adults living
with HIV/AIDS, 100 percent of children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, and 70 percent of
people living with AIDS. Other objectives that are phrased in a gender-neutral manner in the
National Strategy on HIV/AIDS are: (a) 100 percent of units and localities across the country
will incorporate HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities into their social-economic
development programmes; (b) 100 percent of people living in urban areas and 80 percent of
people living in rural and mountainous areas will correctly understand and identify ways of
preventing HIV/AIDS transmission; (c) control HIV/AIDS transmission from high-risk groups,
including 100 percent safe injections and condom use when having risky sex; (d) perfect the
management, monitoring, surveillance and evaluation systems for the HIV/AIDS prevention
and control programme, including 100 percent of HIV testing will be compliant with the
regulations on voluntary testing and counselling; and (e) prevent HIV/AIDS transmission
through medical services.
Among the social solutions suggested in the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS are to
improve knowledge and ensure the role and equal rights of women so that they can actively
participate in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, including exchanging experiences and life
skills. Some of the technical solutions in the strategy are stepping up the treatment of people
living with HIV/AIDS; for example, by ensuring treatment for 100 percent pregnant women
living with HIV and gradually increasing the number of people living with HIV/AIDS who
receive treatment each year. It also includes prevention of MTCT by: (a) raising the awareness
of women in reproductive age of the risk of HIV transmission and the possibility of MTCT; (b)
raising the capacity of the system engaged in preventing MTCT, inter alia, setting up a network
of HIV-testing and counselling at all levels, providing counselling and social support for
pregnant women and ‘women in difficult circumstances’ who are living with HIV/AIDS,
organizing training and retraining courses for staff working on prevention of MTCT, supplying
equipment for obstetric/gynecology hospitals to diagnose HIV infection, supplying adequate
prophylactic medicines, and providing counselling and support of substitute milk for newborns
of mothers living with HIV; and (c) intensifying activities to early prevent MTCT, including
encouraging safe sexual behavior especially for women in reproductive age to promote the
use and facilitate the access to condoms, encouraging HIV testing before marriage and
delivery for counselling, providing sufficient information on MTCT and preventive methods for
pregnant women, implementing early management of pregnancy to detect the risk of MTCT
and providing early treatment, detecting and treating STIs early for women in reproductive
age, providing treatment to prevent MTCT during labour, and applying measures to prevent
MTCT during delivery.
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Other plans and strategies also address HIV/AIDS. First, the Plan of Action for the
Advancement of Women has as one of its main objectives the improvement of women’s
health. One of its indicators is to control the number of pregnant women living with HIV/AIDS
Health (Article 12 of CEDAW)