Institute for Social Development Studies

 

 

 

 

The success of the first phase of  the capacity building program for research  on sexuality and sexual health (period 2002-2004) suggests further systematic endeavors to develop the program to strategically translate past achievements into practical outcomes.  There is a growing concern among professionals in the field of the absolute lack of advocacy for important areas of SSH.  Advocacy is a quite a new concept and its operationalization remains largely unknown.  Very often it is simply understood as propaganda activities that comprise almost exclusively political speeches and slogans.  Rarely advocacy as a comprehensive package of actions, including persuasive arguments using evidence provided by scientific inquiries, is undertaken.  For SSH advocacy, it is even more difficult due to the sensitiveness of the topics, the lack of skills, and also because so far the field has just started to be formed.

Realizing the situation, Institute for Social Development Studies developed this program to take momentum of success the first phase and to push one step further capacity building on research, training and advocacy on SSH in Viet Nam.  The program continued to receive support from Ford Foundation with a budget of USD 250,000 for three year period, starting from July 2004 to June 2007. Later, the project has been extended until August 2010.

Program’s Objectives:

The overall objective of the program for the second phase is to further develop the field of sexuality and sexual health research, and to advocate on key issues of SSH.  This can be achieved through the development of an integrated program that focuses on the following three immediate objectives:

to build the field of SSH through research and training capacity building and information services;

to advocate on SSH right-based issues aimed at the Party, the government, and the public;

to participate in regional and international scholarly initiatives on SSH.

The above immediate objectives have been  technically translated into four component which have been implemented within the project cycle and can be summarized as follow:

Component 1: SSH information provision

During this project cycle the Resource Center for Gender, Sexuality and Sexual Health collected a large number of publications, both through donation and purchase.  Over 4,000 books and documents, mostly on SSH, are in stock ready for audience. There is also a collection CD-Rom on related topics. The list of materials has been posted on-line for convenient access by audience.  The library has served an increasing numbers of readers, including researchers and students, both Vietnamese and foreign.  Opinions from readers – who are academics, government officials, practitioners, students as well as foreign professionals – continue to reveal that RCGSRH is the best source for information on SSH currently available in Vietnam.

The ISDS Website has been regularly updated.  By mid January 2008, the ISDS website will be completely transformed for better format and layout with more detailed information.  The website provides information of the Resource Center’s and information on SSH themes.  Two most important sections of the website include the online library and the JVNet.  The later is a national listserv for discussion of HIV/AIDS issues among thousands of subscribers, Vietnamese and International.  Presently the service is in both Vietnamese and English.  The JVNet has been under administration of a person living with HIV/AIDS, who is permanent staff of  ISDS.

Regarding international collaboration, ISDS is well linked with the regional network structured around the TARSHI in India and the National Sexuality Research Center (San Francisco State University).  Dr. Khuat Thu Hong has been in the Advisory Committee of the TARSHI’s Regional Institute of Sexuality, Culture, and Society over the past few years.  At the same time, she is the member of the International Editorial Committee of the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy of the National Sexuality Resource Center, San Francisco State University. Through her membership, the Center now has access to materials, both printed and on-line, from these institutions.

Two other staff of ISDS joined other regional activities: Mr. Vu Thanh Long attended the Regional Institute in Beijing, China, and the Film Festival in New Delhi, India.  These two events were both organized by TARSHI.  In addition, Mr. Dinh Thai Son, another ISDS staff who has got his MA degree at Mahidol University, attended the satellite meeting (held by TARSHI) at the 4^th APRSHC in Hyderabad, India.

Component 2: Book writing

The Vietnamese version of the book Sexuality in Contemporary Vietnam: Easy to joke About but Hard to Talk About has been completed by Dr. Khuat Thu Hong and Dr. Le Bach Duong in winter 2008. The English version of the book was ready by spring 2009 thanks to contribution of Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Huong. In September 2009 the book has been published in both Vietnamese and English by the Knowledge Publisher. The dissemination workshop was held at the Melia Hotel, Hanoi in the next month, October 6^th, 2009. The book became topic of many articles in national press and international press such as BBC and RFA right after the event and following months.

Using data from studies on sexuality and sexual health carried out in the project first phase, the book provides evidence and analyses of changes in perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of sexuality in Vietnam in the past fifty years. Three key arguments developed in the book are:

Sexuality is socially constructed; Perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of sexuality are shaped by society – thus they are social constructs; agency is however evolving.

The society of Vietnam for the past 50 years has been undergoing many important political, economic, cultural and social changes. Such changes have deeply and profoundly impacted the emergence and development of concepts of genders and sexuality in Vietnam. Gender-based relationships have been getting more and more equitable but traditional norms and patterns of gender still remain as highly appreciated values in spite of the fact that they are not necessarily complied with or respected. Political institutions urge and aim at equity and equality but traditional institutions are trying to maintain and uphold old-fashioned values.

Concepts and attitudes of sexuality are getting more and more open-minded, sexual behaviors are getting more and more liberalized because more and more prominence is being given to personal freedom. Political institutions and traditional institutions are trying to maintain and uphold traditional values but the process of socio-economic change has been fading those values away and causing rise to new values.

Essentially, the book explores how sexualities of different social groups in both rural and urban settings are perceived, defined, conducted, and represented in Vietnam overtime.    The book identifies multiple processes that have defined and redefined social roles of sexuality in social processes. The book recognizes the backbone role of sexuality in people’s life, as the essence of sexuality increasingly gives life the meaning that goes beyond reproduction aim and health boundary.

Component 3: Research

Within this cycle of the project, two studies combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies have been conducted to explore issues of sexuality and sexual health of men and rural to urban migrants. Primary objective of these studies is to examine feasibility of a larger scale quantitative survey on SSH in the next phase. Second objective is to get preliminary understanding of major areas of sexual life of men and migrants including sexual health, quality of sexual life, perceptions on marriage, sexuality, process of development of sexuality and issues related to sex services or unwanted sex, etc.

The study on men’s SSH has been conducted in 2007 in four sites: Hà Nội, Hà Tây, Hồ Chí Minh city and Cần Thơ. Two hundred and twenty eight men aged 15 to 65 were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. There are 15 people recruited for in-depth interview afterward. A monograph of this study has been completed by the end of 2009 and published in both Vietnamese and English languages by the Women Publishing House in March 2010.

The study on migrant’s sexual life has bee conducted in 2007 in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. The issues under investigation in this study are similar to those of the men’s study. The monograph in Vietnamese and English is already completed and published in April 2010.

Component 4: Training and advocacy

During the project cycle, the Academy of Journalism and Communication was technically supported by ISDS to integrate SSH subjects into the formal curriculum and other activities.

(i) For faculty: Three training for faculty from three departments of the Academy: Sociology, Television and Radio, Print Media; (ii) For the undergraduate program: 66 classes where SSH topics were taught with 3,208 students received lectures on SSH; 14 courses with SSH topics integrated and 906 class hours (out of 4,440 hours) when SSH were taught; (iii)  Training program for government cadres: 20 classes where SSH topics were taught with 2,238 cadres received lectures on SSH; 17 courses with SSH topics integrated and 313 class hours (out of 1,050 hours) when SSH were taught. (iv) Graduation thesis: 10 graduation thesis on SSH issues of students from Sociology Department, and Radio and Television Department; (v) Research projects: 4 research project on SSH with 23 reports (of them 9 produced by students and  14 produced by professors). (vi) Media products: 39 newspaper articles; 2 radio reports (2 hours and 15 minutes); 2 television reports (50 minutes) and  one online forum; (vii)  Student gala: 2 students gala on SSH topic were held; (viii) Workshops: 14 workshops on SSH topics with participation of professors and students; (ix) Publications: one composite publication (for AJC use only) consisting of works on SSH produced by students and faculties.  One DVD contained of media products (multiple copies)

Regarding advocacy activities, during this phase, ISDS cooperated with the Vietnam Television (VTV), Nhan Dan monthly newspapers, Laborer and various online press to advocate for gender equality, sexual well-beings and rights.  Three television programs were produced and aired. Twelve articles were published on these newspapers. Drs. Khuat Thu Hong and Le Bach Duong and some key staff of ISDS become familiar faces on national television and press. They also were interviewed by BBC and RFA time to time. ISDS research findings and other activities are regularly quoted on various newspapers.