On the morning of April 15th 2014, the Bac Ninh Provincial Women’s Union organized the Congress “Reviewing 5 years conducted the model of prevention against crime and social evils in different levels of the union”. Two hundred delegates attending the congress have been interested in the mobile exhibition “Smiling Tears” presented by Vietnamese Women’s Museum displayed at the congress’s venue.

Many delegates are sorry and worried about women’s fates when looking at photographs and reading stories of women who had to endure the suffering both the physical and the spiritual violence from their husbands. They also recognized the changes of women’s awareness together with the support from organizations, especially from the Vietnamese Women’s Union that help many families return to a peaceful and tranquil life. The fact proves that these changes and added support are effective methods to assist people suffering from family violence.

After visiting the exhibition, one female delegate responded sincerely: “Poor us women! We have to suffer so much but don’t dare to say. We worry that our children have to suffer, we worry that our neighbors laugh at us, we feel shame with everyone so we just suffer the violence. Unfortunately, not all women are watching this exhibition”.

The exhibition is ideally suited for congress and makes congress more aware of the needs of women in the community. Delegates read stories and viewed photographs so that they could feel the daily existence of a violent and tumor life of women. It urged them to rethink and conduct their roles and their functions better in their capacity of staff of the Women’s Union.

One delegate stated that: “This is really a meaningful and impressive way to organize a congress, the exhibition is a vivid example that gives us more information, together with the congress”.

Because the exhibition is warmly welcome by delegates, Bac Ninh Provincial Women’s Union expects to continue presenting the exhibition to other congresses in local unions. According to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hang – Vice President of Bac Ninh Provincial Women’s Union, this is a new way of communication that can help women who suffer violence and to make a stand to protect their own life legally.

Some photographs of the Congress: