Love beautifully, Safety for Women

The contest awarding ceremony "Love beautifully, Safety for Women" was held this morning in Ha Noi at the Academy of Journalism and Propaganda by CSAGA and TikTok. The contest focused on prevention of Sexual Violence against Women and Girls, and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Netherlands Embassy, ​​and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and Pizkie Cosmetic Brand.

The contest aims to raise awareness and understanding on sexual violence and harassment among TikTok users as well as the whole community.

Taking advantage of creative tools, unique ideas and the dynamism of the user community on TikTok, the contest to convey information and knowledge to the community in a new and creative way, bringing a new and more accessible perspective on this topic, which aims to raise public awareness on protecting women and girls from violence, especially sexual violence.

Three weeks after the contest launch, the organizers received nearly 4,000 video clips with total views of 51,919,973, total video shares: 19,957; total video likes: 3,635,423; and total video comments: 28,417

The 50 videos with the highest engagement have reached the final round. From these outstanding videos, the jury selected the best videos to award one first prize, two second prizes, two third prizes and five consolation prizes. The most popular community video award has attracted 275,802 likes and shares.

"Through social media, women and girls have a new space to speak up and to be heard. Men and boys too have a new channel to show support, love, care and concrete actions to help change the social norms and gender stereotypes, spread the correct message and understanding of sexual violence, advocate for change in society, the legal system, and support services for victims of sexual assault, and be educated on soft skills to prevent GBV and intervene when someone is at risk of violence. I do hope that this contest or challenge is just a planted seed and you, the young people and creators in Viet Nam, will continue to water this tree to raise awareness and seek solutions to end sexual violence and harassment in Viet Nam. We still need to do a lot more to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable", said Ms. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam, at the event.

The winner of the contest, Son Hong Pham said: “I have been interested in the topic for a long time and wish to make video clips for sharing on TikTok. The #antoanchophunu contest gave me an opportunity to make this wish come true. I hope everyone, after watching the video clips will gain more knowledge and understanding on how to protect themselves, as well as to protect women and girls from violence.”

This event is among many activities organized towards the Viet Nam National Action Month on GBV and the global United Nations UNiTE campaign to end violence against women and girls, which highlights the importance of providing support for survivors and advocates under the global theme “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”.

UNFPA and the wider UN family in Viet Nam applaud the courage of women who have overcome fear and prejudice by speaking up. It is important to encourage other individuals to become "silence-breakers" in Viet Nam and globally about sexual harassment and violence. Stories of survivors will raise awareness of this long-concealed issue, and allow all of society to come together to address it.

Ending violence against women should be a priority for everyone. It is indeed a stated priority with clear targets as well under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals that seek ultimately to leave no one behind.

#Safety4women #antoanchophunu #16dayactivism