The sharings of the children after attending to the “Children and Gender Equality – The train of change” training course

“Both my mom and dad go to work every day, but when I get home, my mother is the only one who cooks and cleans. Dad usually lies down and rests.”

“When I did something wrong, my parents beat me up. I am very sad and upset. Why do adults have the right to beat and scold children?"

– those are the sharings of the children about what they feel is “absurd” going on in their daily lives.

So, what will you do to change those things?

“I will talk to my parents that every member in the family is responsible for sharing household chores; both girls and boys have the right to go to school and do the work they love.”

“No one has the right to be violent with children, not even parents. I will share with my parents how I feel when I get beaten and scolded, and wish they would stop doing so.”

“I would call 111 or find another adult for support if I experienced violence myself or saw another friend experiencing violence.”

These are some sharings of ethnic minority students aged 11 - 16 who attended the “Children and Gender Equality – The train of change” training course in the first week of August. The training course is one of eight activities within the framework of the “No voice - No equal future” project, with the goal of improving livelihoods and promoting gender equality and children's rights for ethnic minority women and children in Bac Ha district, Lao Cai. The project has been implemented since May 2023 with funding from TH Group and the “Spreading true happiness” program of For Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF).

It is hoped that the training course provided Bac Ha children with basic knowledge about sex and gender; helped them identify gender stereotypes, gender norms, and existing issues in the community such as child marriage, and child violence. At the same time, it is expected to motivate the children to become “leaders of change” to carry out actions to promote gender equality and contribute to eliminating the above problems.

For more information about the project, visit: https://vitamvocviet.vn/no-voice-no-equal