Hanoi (VNA) - Experts and representatives of relevant agencies attending a workshopon October 8 sought ways to upgrade toilets in public places in HCM City to makethem safe and friendly for women and girls.
The workshop ongender-responsive budgeting in infrastructure upgrading was jointly held by themunicipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the UN Entity forGender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the People’sCommittee of HCM City’s District 10.
A study by the Department and UN Women revealed that toilets in parks,restaurants, bars, and pubs in HCM City pose risks of sexual harassment and violenceagainst women and girls.
Tran Thi Kim Thanh, head of the Department’s Office of Child Protection,Care and Gender Equality, said standards regarding the safety of women andgirls had not been taken into account during the construction of the toilets.
Therefore, she stressed, gender integration in planning and budget use isessential, especially ensuring the safety and friendliness of facilities forwomen and girls.
Participants agreed to prioritise upgrading toilets at schools andtraditional markets in District 10.
According to UN Women, HCM City is one of the first localities in Vietnamto commit to promoting and implementing gender-responsive budgeting.
Since 2015, with technical assistance from UN Women Vietnam, commitmentsmade by the southern city have been materialised through numerous activities./.