English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

CEDAW and the Law:
NATIONALITY
(Article 9 of CEDAW)
Article 9 of CEDAW requires equal rights to acquire, change and retain nationality, as well as
equal rights to transmit it. GR 21 emphasizes that policies and laws on nationality must recognize
women’s choice in relation to nationality, and they should not simply treat women as extensions
of their husbands. The selected indicators focus on equal rights to acquire, change, retain
and transmit nationality. These are specifically guaranteed by Vietnamese laws, in particular the
Law on Nationality. One specific recommendation in this field, though, relates to adopted children.
It is suggested that, in relation to an adopted child’s nationality where both parents have
different nationalities, they can both transmit their nationality to the child without prejudice to the
childs choice upon reaching the age of majority, instead of relegating this to common practices
or agreement that can be discriminatory against women.
EDUCATION
(Article 10 of CEDAW)
Article 10 of CEDAW requires that women enjoy equal access to education of all kinds and at all
levels. It proceeds to illustrate that this covers all categories of education whether in rural or
urban areas: pre-school, general, technical, professional or higher technical education, vocational
training, adult and functional literacy programmes. A critical area to look into is ensuring that
various courses or studies for a wide range of professions are open to women, especially those
that are traditionally seen as for males only or are male-dominated. Women and girls also must
have equal access to scholarships and study grants to assist them in accessing education. It is
also critical to look into different groups of women to see whether they have equal opportunities
to education. In this regard, there is a need to ensure equal access to education by rural and ethnic
minority women. Article 10 also looks into whether women or girls have access to equal conditions
of education. This involves having the same curricula, examinations, teaching staff with
qualifications of the same standard, school premises and equipment of the same quality. In many
cases, opportunities to participate in sports and physical education are limited for women and
girls. Article 10 also looks at ensuring that education being provided has incorporated gender. In
this regard, the elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all levels
and in all forms of education is strongly urged. It also obligates that equal access to specific
educational information to ensure health and well-being of families. This includes information on
reproductive and sexual rights.
20
Concluding Comments on Viet Nam 2007 urges Viet Nam to address disparity in school
enrolment rates and to ensure achievement of universal primary education for girls. It strongly
encourages Viet Nam to address obstacles to girls continuing their education, to provide teacher
training programmes, and to support education on the culture of ethnic minorities. Concluding
Comments on Viet Nam 2007 also viewed with concern the lack of access to education by girls
in rural and remote and mountainous regions.
In line with this, the selected indicators focus on: (a) equal access to education; (b) prohibition
on access to education on account of pregnancy or maternity; (c) compulsory education;
(d) access to education by rural and ethnic minority women; (e) equal conditions of education; (f)
elimination of stereotypes; (g) review of textbooks and curricula; (h) non-discrimination by school
administrators, personnel and teachers; and (i) sexual harassment.
Executive summary