Workshop on legislative advice in Vietnam

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Published: February 18, 2022

In the first half of December 2021, the IRZ held a workshop on legislative advice on how to prevent and combat domestic violence with the Vietnam Lawyer's Association (VLA) and the Center for Consulting on Legal and Policy on Health and HIV/Aids (CCLPHH; associated with the VLA). The event is embedded in the German-Vietnamese dialogue on the rule of law between the justice ministries of both countries, which was implemented in 2010.

The basis of this request for advice from Vietnam to the IRZ is the reform of the law on the prevention and combating of domestic violence, the revised version of which is to be passed by the National Assembly in 2022. The law on combating domestic violence, which has been in force since 2008, is considered to be insufficient, and there are plans to give greater consideration to combating psychological and sexualised violence in the amendment to the law.

The workshop took place as a hybrid event. The Vietnamese participants assembled in the conference room in Hanoi, the German experts joined in via zoom.

Dr. Stefan Weismann, President of the Regional Court of Bonn, and Susanne Bunke, Head of Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice (Department of Sexual Criminal Law; Criminology, Criminal Law Combating Doping; Statistics of the Administration of Justice), presented the German experience with the relevant provisions. They explored the civil and criminal law aspects of the law, protective measures and practical implementation.

In their presentations, the Vietnamese speakers critically addressed concrete proposals for changes to the draft law and discussed aspects of the German Protection Against Violence Act, the German regulations on sanctions and the current measures in criminal law, including the reform of sexual offences (the "no means no” solution) with the German speakers.

Some high-level speakers attended the event, including several representatives of the Vietnamese National Assembly, various ministries and the responsible editorial working group.

Overall, the event was characterised by exciting, open contributions to the discussion and lively debates, offering the German and Vietnamese representatives an excellent opportunity for mutual exchanges.

The IRZ will continue to follow the further development of the law on the prevention and combating of domestic violence and, if necessary, follow up on this legislative consultation with a subsequent and more in-depth event.