Gender Based Violence in Viet Nam: Strengthening the Response by Measuring and Acting on the Social Determinants of Health

Gender inequality impacts health in myriad ways, including "discriminatory feeding patterns, lack of
decision-making power, and unfair divisions of work, leisure, and possibilities of improving one's
life, in addition to limited access to health care services. One of the most significant consequences of gender inequality, however, is gender-based violence (GBV), including sexual violence, coercion, emotional and/or physical violence perpetrated by intimate partners and non-partners alike. GBV "reflects and reinforces inequality between men and women…[compromising] the health, dignity, security and autonomy" of its survivors.

This draft background paper is one of several in a series commissioned by the World Health Organization for the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, held 19-21 October 2011, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The goal of these papers is to highlight country experiences on implementing action on social determinants of health.