When Safe Houses Are a Mandatory Criteria in Law Enforcement
Specifically, the 2022 Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control for the first time includes safe houses in the group of mandatory support services and expands the subjects, operating mechanisms, and professional standards. In addition to the provisions on arranging temporary shelters and supporting essential needs as one of the measures to prevent domestic violence and protect and support victims of domestic violence (Point d, Clause 1, Article 22), Section 3, including Articles 35 to 40, has been devoted to regulating facilities for domestic violence prevention and control, such as: facilities for domestic violence prevention and control providing care, counseling, arranging temporary shelters, supporting essential needs for victims of domestic violence and children that victims of domestic violence are responsible for caring for and raising; educating and supporting the conversion of domestic violence behavior; facilities for domestic violence prevention and control including trusted addresses; medical examination and treatment facilities; social assistance facilities; State legal aid centers, organizations participating in legal aid; Other facilities participating in supporting family planning; facilities providing family planning support services...
According to information from the Department of Grassroots Culture, Family and Library, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the situation of 2 years of implementing domestic violence prevention and control work according to the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control in 2022, legal documents and policies on domestic violence prevention and control are continuing to be amended and supplemented in an accessible direction, focusing on victims of domestic violence, ensuring human rights. Legal propaganda work has been promoted; information technology and social networks have been applied, expanding access channels, contributing to changing awareness and behavior in the community. Trusted address models, consulting groups, support and intervention have been deployed in a variety of ways, suitable to local characteristics, playing a role in early detection and timely support for victims of domestic violence. Coordination between sectors, organizations and communities has been strengthened, mobilizing more social resources for domestic violence prevention and control... However, the situation of domestic violence is still complicated, many cases have not been detected or handled promptly; Recurrent violent behavior, lack of resources, and inconsistent data remain challenges.
Safe houses are "identified" and protected by law when the law stipulates that "shelters" and "safe houses" can belong to the State or be socialized; be operated according to procedures, have specialized personnel; be connected with the police, health , justice... The law also increases local responsibility when assigning the provincial People's Committee to ensure funding; build a network of support facilities; periodically check the quality of services...
Thus, it can be seen that, from the perspective of law enforcement, Safe Houses are both the starting point of the journey to escape violence and a measure of a locality's capacity to protect victims. Safe Houses are no longer "auxiliary" but a mandatory criterion in law enforcement. This is a big step forward because previously most models were spontaneous or had international project funding, without a complete legal framework.
Before the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control 2022 took effect from July 1, 2023, there were two models of Safe Houses, namely Peace House (Vietnam Women's Union) and Sunshine House (formerly Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, currently Ministry of Home Affairs ) in a number of provinces, cities and localities operating within the framework of international projects. The two pilot models are not only shelters, but also service ecosystems: psychological counseling, legal support, medical care, livelihood connection and comprehensive recovery for victims. In addition, there are a number of other small-scale facilities supporting domestic violence prevention and control in many localities. Since the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control 2022 took effect, the number of safe houses has increased.
According to the Department of Grassroots Culture, Family and Library, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, by 2024, the country will have more than 12,000 models; nearly 30,000 sustainable family clubs; more than 39,000 PCBLGĐ groups; about 50,000 trusted addresses in the community; and more than 23,000 hotlines. The Vietnam Women's Union continues to operate the Social Assistance Center - Peaceful House and models such as "Building a family of 5 no 3 clean", "Happy family"... The Central Farmers' Association deploys the model "Responsible father", some localities develop the "One-stop" model to comprehensively support women and children who are victims of violence and abuse. These models not only improve response capacity but also provide practical support for victims of domestic violence. In these Safe House models, the coordination mechanism between functional departments and agencies such as police, health, women's affairs, home affairs, education... coordinates faster, reduces processing time, victims have more access to services, leading to the encouraging fact that the rate of victims of domestic violence who dare to report and seek help has increased significantly...
Overcoming gaps in implementation practices
On November 11, 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs chaired and coordinated with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to organize the Launching Ceremony of the Month of Action for Gender Equality and Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in 2025 with the theme "Gender Equality and Safety for Women and Girls in the Digital Age". The Launching Ceremony is the opening event for the peak communication campaign on gender equality and prevention and response to gender-based violence in 2025. Immediately after the Launching Ceremony, thousands of activities will take place in response to the Month of Action organized by ministries, branches, agencies and localities nationwide.
In addition to the achievements of the Safe House model for domestic violence prevention and control that the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control 2022 brings, there are still many limitations in its implementation such as: a serious lack of Safe House models (many localities only have 1-2 spontaneous shelters at the grassroots level or no official address); lack of operating funds (this is the biggest barrier because Safe Houses need to operate 24/7, need specialized personnel in psychology, sociology, law, need minimum facilities such as beds, kitchens, private areas for children..., many localities reported "having a model but no money to maintain"); human resources to operate the Safe House model are still very lacking and weak, mainly part-time staff, leading to incomplete support; the interconnection process is still slow; lack of unified data between localities, ministries and branches due to the lack of a national database, making it difficult to assess the impact of the law...
On October 2, 2025, at the 95th Anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Union, General Secretary To Lam directed each province to have at least 5 Safe Houses for women and children. "Each province has at least 5 Safe Houses for women and children, connected to a 24/7 hotline. Each commune and ward has a community care service model with women as the core...", according to the General Secretary.
From this direction, it can be seen that the formation and effective operation of the Safe House model is a political task of the Ministry, branches and localities. And from the perspective of the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, to ensure the effectiveness of the Law, key solutions are needed such as: building at least 5 Safe Houses in each province to strengthen the protection of women and children according to the direction of General Secretary To Lam; arranging a stable, long-term budget instead of only depending on international projects or short-term funding; training a professional team so that each Safe House must have full-time social workers, trained psychotherapists, legal collaborators, and a 24/7 emergency team; building a provincial-level interconnection process from the call center to the police, health care, Safe Houses, and legal support; increasing communication so that victims know where to go...
The 2022 Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control has a progressive and humane spirit, placing the victim at the center. However, for the Law to be truly effective, Safe Houses must be considered the “backbone” of the support system. When each locality has enough Safe Houses, it will be proof that the law is not just on paper, but has entered every home, protecting every life.
On November 25, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam with financial support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) launched the Project "Improving capacity to prevent and respond to domestic violence in the period of 2025 - 2026" to strengthen the system of preventing and responding to domestic violence in Vietnam. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Minister Trinh Thi Thuy said that the Project focuses on supporting the implementation of urgent tasks such as: building and operating the National Hotline for Domestic Violence Prevention and Control; improving inter-sectoral coordination capacity; improving the quality of support services for victims of domestic violence; promoting the application of technology and innovative communication in domestic violence prevention and control.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/nha-an-toan-goc-nhin-tu-thuc-thi-luat-phong-chong-bao-luc-gia-dinh.html
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