Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Việt Nam, presents the medical supplies to the Vietnamese health ministry. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Việt Nam on Wednesday handed over medical supplies and personal protective equipment worth US$450,000 to 21 Vietnamese localities, including Hà Nội and HCM City, to aid them in the COVID-19 combat.

The beneficiaries include health workers, volunteers and other forces in the fight, who are working to protect pregnant women, the elderly and girls against domestic violence.

Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Việt Nam, said the pandemic had become a disaster for women and children who are also facing violence and discrimination.

She cited a study conducted by the UNFPA in 2019 as showing that nearly two-thirds (62.9 per cent) of women in Việt Nam experienced at least one or more types of violence in their lifetime by their husband.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has become even worse as the number of calls reporting domestic violence cases to the UNFPA-supported hotline has doubled, she said.

Kitahara stressed that the UNFPA’s aid demonstrated its commitment to accompanying the Vietnamese Government and providing services vital to reproductive health, sexual health and social support, as well as preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

According to Đinh Anh Tuấn, deputy head of the health ministry’s Department of Maternal and Child Health, this is the fifth donation by the UNFPA to support Viêt Nam in maternal and child health, with total donations worth nearly US$1 million. — VNS