Vietnamese women, particularly the poor, are facing more economic and social challenges, as Vietnam focuses on increased participation in the global market. A human rights group in the country points to Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organisation in November 2006 as the cause.

Barely three months after Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnamese women are already reporting and protesting the various challenges they face in terms of their labour and economic conditions.

Last November 7, 2006, as Vietnam officially became the 150th member of the WTO in its aim to achieve economic growth, many international groups and activists warned about the challenges the accession would bring, especially to women.

A recent report compiled by the non-government organisation Vietnam Committee on Human Rights describes the problems that women face as a result of the country's efforts to accelerate economic growth. The report entitled “Violations of the Rights of Women in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” is an Alternative Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) released on January 15, 2007.

According to the report, although Vietnamese legislation guarantees equal pay between men and women, reports and testimonies show that women receive less pay compared to men, given that the work is the same; women receive only 72% of male salaries for the same type of work. Women continue to receive inadequate compensation despite shouldering 60% to 70% of the workload in national development.

Furthermore, the report revealed that women, particularly those in the textile industry, are made to work overtime under poor working conditions. The report cited that according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, “Abuse is widespread in the garment factories where women form the bulk of the workforce. These factories are often located in export processing zones (EPZs), which continue to be particularly hostile ground for trade unionists who are constantly exposed to threats and intimidation...”

Penelope Faulkner, vice president of Action for Democracy in Vietnam, a human rights group based in Paris, said “Women account for 80% of the work force in the textile and garment industry, which has become one of Vietnam's primary export areas.  However, the pressure to keep prices low and stay competitive in the global market has suppressed wages and created unsafe working conditions.”

Rural women are also put at a disadvantage. The report cited a study on Vietnam’s entry into the WTO by OXFAM, a UK-based NGO, which expressed grave concern about the situation of rural women: “Women farmers in remote areas, especially single female householders and elderly women, are among the most vulnerable of the poor...the income of a large proportion of the population lies just above the poverty line, and as a consequence, many families who are not technically 'poor' are extremely vulnerable to external shocks, which could send them back into poverty.”

Economists and activists are urging Vietnam to immediately respond to the challenges and problems that the WTO membership pose to women, especially the poor.

Related article:
“Vietnam's WTO accession poses more challenges” in we! November 2006, No. 1

Sources:
“Vietnam's Boom Found Backfiring on Women” from Women's eNews, posted on February 15, 2007, <http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3068>.
“Violations of the Rights of Women in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” An Alternative Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on the Combined fifth and sixth periodic reports of Vietnam, United Nations, New York, 15 January 2007, Report compiled by Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, <http://www.queme.net/eng/doc/VCHR_Alternative_Report_on_CEDAW_2007.pdf>.