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Sexual violence is a persistent, underreported threat to the well-being of women and girls worldwide. In Vietnam, as elsewhere, myths and misconceptions around rape and other forms of sexual violence present a major barrier to reporting and prevention. Based on qualitative research from a parent study aimed at reducing sexual violence perpetration at universities in Vietnam, we sought to characterize commonly held myths among university students that may contribute to the perpetration and justification of such behaviors. Our analysis drew on focus group discussions with men (n = 69) and semi-structured interviews with men (n = 12) and women (n = 9) recruited from two universities in Hanoi. Conducted in April and May of 2018, interviews covered topics including gender norms, dating relationships, consent, and sexual violence, whereas focus groups conducted in October 2018 were designed to assess reactions to an existing sexual violence prevention program. Thematic analysis of interview and focus group transcripts revealed that myths and misconceptions about sexual violence persist among university-aged men and women. Chief among these were that rape results mainly from men's uncontrollable desire, that victims provoke rape by their "reckless" behavior, such as drinking or dressing provocatively, that "real" rape is characterized by physical force from the perpetrator and "fierce resistance" on the part of the victim, and that rape occurs only under a narrow set of circumstances. Although men and women endorsed most myths equally, justification of rape through victim blaming featured much less in women's narratives than in men's. Myths concerning false rape allegations, observed in Western populations, were not considered relevant to Vietnamese students. Findings informed the development of a contextualized rape myths acceptance scale for testing and use in Vietnam. A nuanced understanding of salient rape myths among male and female students may also inform university-based efforts to prevent sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study examines attitudes toward recourse seeking and intervention in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in periurban Vietnam. The data come from 20 open-ended interviews, 4 focus group discussions, and 40 cognitive interviews conducted with married men and women. The findings indicate that many people hold contradictory beliefs and inconsistent attitudes about IPV and IPV intervention. Also, most informants know about the law against domestic violence in the abstract, but have limited knowledge of, and confidence in, potential mechanisms for recourse provided under the law. Strategies intended to undermine IPV and promote recourse seeking and intervention in Vietnam should be strategically designed to address ambivalence concerning IPV and recourse, and there should be a focus on changing norms associated with masculinity. Further efforts are needed to disseminate information about existing laws and mechanisms of recourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, women 15-24 years are at heightened risk of sexual violence victimization, a risk factor for adverse mental, physical, and behavioral health outcomes. Sexual violence is common at universities and most often perpetrated by men, yet few evidence-based prevention strategies targeting men have been tested in low- and middle-income countries. GlobalConsent is a six-module, web-based educational program adapted from an efficacious U.S.-based program. Nine months post-treatment in a randomized trial in Vietnam, GlobalConsent reduced men's sexually violent behavior (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95%CI 0.50-1.00) and increased prosocial intervening behavior (OR = 1.51, 1.00-2.28) relative to an attention-control. Evidence regarding optimal implementation strategies for scale up is needed., Methods: We will randomize six medical universities in North, Central, and South Vietnam to deliver GlobalConsent using two different packages of implementation strategies that vary in intensity. Higher-intensity strategies will include greater 1) pre- and post-implementation engagement with university leaders and faculty, and 2) greater pre-implementation outreach, follow-up, and incentives for students to promote engagement and completion of GlobalConsent. Higher intensity universities will receive additional training and support for their added activities. We will compare implementation drivers and outcomes, intervention effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness across the two implementation bundles. Our mixed-methods comparative interrupted time-series design includes 1) qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with university leaders and implementation teams to assess implementation barriers and facilitators; 2) repeated surveys with leaders and faculty, implementation teams, and male students to assess multilevel implementation drivers and outcomes, 3) repeated surveys with male students to assess behavioral outcomes (sexual violence and intervening behavior) and mediating variables (knowledge, attitudes, affect, and capacities), and 4) time diaries and cost tracking to assess cost effectiveness of the two implementation-strategies bundles., Discussion: This project is the first to assess packages of implementation strategies to deliver an efficacious web-based sexual-violence-prevention program for undergraduate men across all regions of Vietnam and synergizes with a violence-prevention training initiative (D43TW012188). This approach will produce rigorous evidence about how to disseminate GlobalConsent nationally, which holds promise to reduce gender-based health inequities linked to sexual violence as GlobalConsent is brought to scale., Trial Registration: NCT06443541. Retrospectively registered with clinicaltrials.gov., Competing Interests: Competing interests {28} KMY has submitted a “discovery statement” to the Office of Technology Transfer at Emory University for the development of GlobalConsent. Otherwise, the authors declare that they have no competing interests.