VNWHR | Aug 8, 2015
The same day the Vietnamese government defended its progress on women’s rights, Ms. Le Thi Cham was run over by a bulldozer and nearly crushed to death. She was partaking in a protest on land grabbing, a problem which disproportionately hurts rural women in Vietnam. The incident, poignant in its timing, highlights some of the gross rights violations against rural women and the harsh consequences for women who stand up for their rights in Vietnam.
While this particular incident could not be addressed by the UN treaty body, Vietnamese Women for Human Rights (VNWHR), an independent CSO inside Vietnam, helped to ensure that the stories of women like Le Thi Cham were raised at the international level.
Focusing on female human rights defenders, members of independent human rights groups, rural and ethnic minority women, VNWHR submitted a parallel report and gave oral testimony in Geneva earlier this month.
On Monday, 27 July, the CEDAW Committee issued their concluding remarks for the government of Vietnam on their treaty implementation status. In doing so, they make direct inquiries and recommendations with respect to points highlighted by VNWHR.
Regarding rural women, the UN body urges Vietnam to effectively monitor a new Land Law and to tackle land grabbing issues, especially the strong gender bias associated with them.
Significantly, the committee expresses concern Vietnam’s female activists, noting:
(a) Alleged harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and ill-treatment of women human rights defenders in the State party; and
(b) The limited possibilities for civil society organizations, including women’s rights organizations, to participate in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of laws, policies and programmes relevant to the implementation of the Convention.
Additionally, in light of these treaty implementation concerns, the Committee also urges the Vietnamese government to:
(a) Investigate allegations of harassment, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of women human rights defenders, prosecute those responsible and provide remedies to the victims;
(b) Take specific steps to create an enabling environment in which women human rights defenders and women’s rights organizations can be freely established and freely operate in the State party, in line with article 7 (c) of the Convention.
The Committee’s observations and concerns are especially fitting given the circumstances of key VNWHR members since their participation in this process. Just two days after the July 10th Constructive Dialogue on CEDAW, Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy, VNWHR coordinator, was blocked from international travel and had her passport confiscated by police. On July 12th and 13th Ms. Tran Thi Hai, a VNWHR board member and former prisoner of conscience, received summons notices from the local police department to come in and discuss her participation in her organization.
“We are happy to see that our voice was heard on this important international stage”, said Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy. “These recent incidents sadly underscore many of the points raised in our report and in dialogues with the CEDAW Committee.”
Vietnamese Women for Human Rights (VNWHR) is an independent civil society organization founded in 2013 in response to the failure of mass women’s organizations to effectively respond to the needs and human rights issues faced by women in Vietnam. Core issues of focus include defense and support of female human rights defenders, including prisoners of conscience and support of persecuted ethnic and religious minorities on rights issues ranging from land grabbing to freedom of belief. VNWHR is the first independent CSO from within the country to participate fully in treaty body reporting.
Email: coordinator@vnwhr.net
Website: www.vnwhr.net
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August 6, 2015
PRESS RELEASE: UN Treaty Body Calls on Vietnam to Protect Female HRDs, to Empower Civil Society, and to Address Land Grabbing from Rural Women
by Nhan Quyen • Huynh Thuc Vy, Le Thi Cham, Tran Thi Hai
VNWHR | Aug 8, 2015
The same day the Vietnamese government defended its progress on women’s rights, Ms. Le Thi Cham was run over by a bulldozer and nearly crushed to death. She was partaking in a protest on land grabbing, a problem which disproportionately hurts rural women in Vietnam. The incident, poignant in its timing, highlights some of the gross rights violations against rural women and the harsh consequences for women who stand up for their rights in Vietnam.
While this particular incident could not be addressed by the UN treaty body, Vietnamese Women for Human Rights (VNWHR), an independent CSO inside Vietnam, helped to ensure that the stories of women like Le Thi Cham were raised at the international level.
Focusing on female human rights defenders, members of independent human rights groups, rural and ethnic minority women, VNWHR submitted a parallel report and gave oral testimony in Geneva earlier this month.
On Monday, 27 July, the CEDAW Committee issued their concluding remarks for the government of Vietnam on their treaty implementation status. In doing so, they make direct inquiries and recommendations with respect to points highlighted by VNWHR.
Regarding rural women, the UN body urges Vietnam to effectively monitor a new Land Law and to tackle land grabbing issues, especially the strong gender bias associated with them.
Significantly, the committee expresses concern Vietnam’s female activists, noting:
(a) Alleged harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and ill-treatment of women human rights defenders in the State party; and
(b) The limited possibilities for civil society organizations, including women’s rights organizations, to participate in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of laws, policies and programmes relevant to the implementation of the Convention.
Additionally, in light of these treaty implementation concerns, the Committee also urges the Vietnamese government to:
(a) Investigate allegations of harassment, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of women human rights defenders, prosecute those responsible and provide remedies to the victims;
(b) Take specific steps to create an enabling environment in which women human rights defenders and women’s rights organizations can be freely established and freely operate in the State party, in line with article 7 (c) of the Convention.
The Committee’s observations and concerns are especially fitting given the circumstances of key VNWHR members since their participation in this process. Just two days after the July 10th Constructive Dialogue on CEDAW, Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy, VNWHR coordinator, was blocked from international travel and had her passport confiscated by police. On July 12th and 13th Ms. Tran Thi Hai, a VNWHR board member and former prisoner of conscience, received summons notices from the local police department to come in and discuss her participation in her organization.
“We are happy to see that our voice was heard on this important international stage”, said Ms. Huynh Thuc Vy. “These recent incidents sadly underscore many of the points raised in our report and in dialogues with the CEDAW Committee.”
Vietnamese Women for Human Rights (VNWHR) is an independent civil society organization founded in 2013 in response to the failure of mass women’s organizations to effectively respond to the needs and human rights issues faced by women in Vietnam. Core issues of focus include defense and support of female human rights defenders, including prisoners of conscience and support of persecuted ethnic and religious minorities on rights issues ranging from land grabbing to freedom of belief. VNWHR is the first independent CSO from within the country to participate fully in treaty body reporting.
Email: coordinator@vnwhr.net
Website: www.vnwhr.net