Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop is being held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNWomen in Hanoi on October 2 and 3 to enhance capacityfor diplomats in protecting female migrant workers from violence.

Over 100 diplomats, most of whom will work inVietnamese representative agencies abroad, attended the trainingworkshop on response to violence against female migrant workers as part of efforts to protect rights, safety and dignity of Vietnamese female labourersworking overseas. It isexpected to contribute to promoting legal migration and Vietnam’s management ofinternational migration.

The workshop is held within the framework of the programme “Safe andFair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEANregion,” to ensure female migrantworkers in ASEAN are free from gender-based violence and enjoy decent work.

The Safe andFair programme will help Vietnam enhance legal and policy frameworks on migrant workers, including thoserelated to combating violence against women migrant workers and humantrafficking, said Koen Duchateau, Head of the Cooperation Section of theEuropean Union Delegation to Vietnam.

The event would provide an opportunity for attendees todiscuss and put forward solutions to eliminate violence against migrant womenwhen they work abroad, he added.

MelissaAlvarado, Ending Violence against Women (EVAW) Regional Programme Manager at UNWomen, said many women migrant workers face multiple difficulties overseas,particularly becoming more vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation inall stages of the migration process. They often do not know where to seek helpor there may be no support services available at the place or the time theyneed or in the language they can understand, she said.

Without accessto essential services, women migrant workers are more vulnerable to labourexploitation and confront violence risks, said Chang-Hee Lee, International Labour Organisation (ILO)Vietnam Director.

The workshop is introducing to the attendees concepts about gender, gender-based violence, migrationissues, human trafficking prevention in Vietnam and protection of Vietnamesecitizens abroad as well as skills to respond to violence against women migrant workers.

The Safe andFair programme is part of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, implemented throughthe ILO and UN Women, to end female trafficking and labour exploitation./.