Homosexual and transgender prisoners may be housed in jails separate from the general prison population to protect them from sexual harassment under a plan proposed by the Social, Economic and Environmental Institute to the Ministry of Public Security.
Separate jails proposed for transgender, gay prisoners
The institute has been studying gender-related problems for many years and says many countries provide separate jails for transgender prisoners who are classified as trans-female or trans-male.
A 2014 report found that the majority of transgender prisoners wanted separate jails to avoid the risks of sexual harassment. Homosexual and transgender prisoners face the highest risk of sexual harassment.
The institute cited statistics from the US state of California, which showed 67 percent of homosexual and transgender prisoners have suffered sexual harassment.
The institute said that under current infrastructure in Vietnam, transgender prisoners can only either be held in solitary confinement or left to mix with the general population.
It wants prisoners to be allowed to determine their gender identity, while homosexuals should also be offered imprisonment separate from the general population, rather than subjected to solitary confinement.
The institute said in a 2014 report there were 219 transgender prisoners in Vietnam, 58 percent of whom wanted to be housed in separate jails, while 38 percent identifying as female wanted to be sent to women's prisons.
Of female to male transgenders, 72.4 percent wanted to be housed in separate prisons.
