Laserfiche WebLink
VIETNAM 41 <br />addressed some issues related to poverty reduction and an increase in literacy rates <br />during the year. <br />Societal Abuses, Discrimination, and Acts of Violence Based on Sexual <br />Orientation and Gender Identity <br />Consensual same -sex sexual activity is not criminalized, although by decree, <br />individuals may not change their gender. There was no reported official <br />discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but societal <br />discrimination and stigma were pervasive. A lesbian, gay, bisexual, and <br />transgender (LGBT) community existed but was largely underground. <br />A 2009 survey of more than 3,200 LGBT individuals by the Institute for Studies of <br />Society, Economy, and the Environment reported that 4.5 percent claimed they <br />were victims of assault or physical abuse by homophobic individuals and 6.5 <br />percent claimed they lost jobs because of their sexual orientation. The institute <br />also reported that government officials, the Women's Union, and the Lawyers <br />Association participated in sensitivity training during the year. Most LGBT <br />persons chose not to tell family of their sexual orientation for fear of being <br />disowned, and a 2011 online survey, conducted by the Information Sharing and <br />Connecting Group with more than one thousand LGBT respondents, noted that <br />more than 20 percent were forced into counseling by their families. <br />Other Societal Violence or Discrimination <br />There was no evidence of official discrimination against persons with HIV /AIDS, <br />but societal discrimination against such persons existed. Individuals who tested <br />positive for HIV reported latent social stigma and discrimination, although not in <br />receiving medical treatment for their condition. The law states that employers <br />cannot fire individuals for having HIV /AIDS and doctors cannot refuse to treat <br />persons with HIV /AIDS. However, there were credible reports that persons with <br />HIV /AIDS lost jobs or suffered from discrimination in the workplace or in finding <br />housing, although the number of such reports decreased. The government reported <br />approximately 5,100 school -age children with HIV /AIDS. In several cases <br />HIV /AIDS - positive children or orphans were barred from schools due to pressure <br />from other parents. With the assistance of foreign donors, the national government <br />and provincial authorities took steps to treat, assist, and accommodate persons with <br />HIV /AIDS and thereby decrease societal stigma and discrimination, but these <br />measures were not consistently applied. Faith -based charities were sometimes <br />