Gender equality in the justice sector and the protection of women’s rights was the focus for the Fourth Legal Policy Dialogue taking place in Hanoi on 22 September. The policy dialogue is organized by Ministry of Justice and UNDP in partnership, and this time the dialogue focused on mainstreaming gender in law making and implementation by looking at the justice sector’s response to gender inequality and the protection of women’s rights.
The Group of Four (Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland) participated in the dialogue discussions, and appreciated the opportunity to engage in the policy dialogue. The G4 focused on equalization of the retirement age as a means to change the low proportion of women in important legal decision making processes, and noted that while Vietnam have gender equality high up on the political agenda, challenges remain. One of these challenges relates to inclusion of the voices of ethnic minority women, as they often face multiple discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity and poverty.
Another point the G4 focused on was to understand gender in its broadest sense, and include sexual orientation and gender identity and expression as grounds for protection in anti-discrimination legislation and policies in Vietnam. To highlight the issue of implementation, the G4 encouraged the establishment of an independent ombudsman practice or an independent discrimination commission, to help safeguard the rights of citizens and make sure that good intentions within the legal systems are translated into indiscriminate practices.
The G4 have since 2001 worked together in Vietnam on human rights issues, with a particular focus on the situation for marginalized groups.