A year after Vietnam’s high-profile but short-lived #MeToo moment, lawmakers are finally discussing amendments to obsolete regulations on sexual harassment.

For the first time, the draft Labour Code—up for discussion at the National Assembly’s May/June session this year—offers a definition of sexual harassment and a means of implementing its ban in the workplace. It’s a step forward; while sexual harassment was first acknowledge in law in 2012, the lack of a working definition had severely limited its practical impact.

In March and April, videos of a woman and a child being sexually assaulted by older men in lifts sparked one of the most spontaneous yet intense campaigns in the country’s recent history demanding justice for survivors of sexual violence.

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Lam Le

Lam Le is a freelance journalist based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Her reporting focuses on migration, gender and other social issues. Visit her website for more info: https://lam-le.com/.