First fairy tale books on gender equality launched for Vietnamese children

The first modern fairy tale picture books on gender equality for Vietnamese children were launched by UN Women, ChildFund Vietnam and Crabit Kidbooks on October 20, aimed at aimed eliminating harmful gender stereotypes and gender norms existing in fairy tales that hinder the comprehensive development of children.

Children presented with the books at the launch ceremony.
Children presented with the books at the launch ceremony.

The launch ceremony was pinned for today to celebrate the 10th anniversary of UN Women, Vietnam Women’s Day and to be in line with the National Action Month on Gender Equality and the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls.

It also hopes to increase the amount reading material on the market that promote gender equality to children.

The "Generation Equality – modern fairy tales" picture book set features vivid and beautiful illustrations as well as attractive content on gender equality including stories that won the highest prizes at a recent modern fairy tales creating contest, hosted by UN Women, ChildFund Vietnam and the Embassy of Ireland last year.

The "Generation Equality – modern fairy tales" picture book set features vivid and beautiful illustrations as well as attractive stories on gender equality.

The book set consists of two paperback stories: A Miracle in the Kingdom of Shoes and A Collection of fairy tales about gender equality, with the characters bringing different perspectives about the roles of each individual in the society, as well as taking specific actions to change gender stereotypes.

Different from the traditional approach, the character system in these modern series of fairy tales has been built by the authors with a creative, modern mindset, ready to challenge barriers for women to be themselves and help them overcome all difficulties to succeed.

“Through these stories, we want to convey the message of a sustainable and equal future where all children of any gender can grow up healthy, be respected, be free to develop and follow their dreams without being hindered by any stereotypes and barriers,” said Vu Phuong Ly, Programme Specialist of UN Women and technical advisor for the books.

Children enjoy modern fairy tales in the new books.

At the launch event, the book publisher Crabit Kidbooks also committed to donate 20% of the book sales to Peace House, a safe shelter and support service provider established in 2007 to provide timely, urgent and comprehensive support for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Readers can buy the books and contribute to the fundraising campaign at the website: https://www.crabit.vn/unw-the-he-binh-dang or at the Fanpage for Crabit Kidbooks: https://www.facebook.com/crabitkidbookspublishing.

Photo provided by UN Women Vietnam