The “Blue Ribbon” award 2010 was launched in Hanoi on September 15to honour golden hearts for their contributions to employment promotionfor the disabled.

The award is designed to recognise employers, organisations andemployees with disabilities who have made outstanding contributions tothe promotion of employment for people with disabilities, according to apress release by the Blue Ribbon Employers Council (BREC) on September15.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take placein November under the co-sponsorship of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerceand Industry (VCCI), the Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped (VNAH)and BREC.

Speaking at the launch, Phung QuangHung, Director of the Gender Office for Employment under the VCCI, saidthe award should be widely publicised in order to increase employers’awareness about employing people with disabilities and provide a forumon experiences in generating jobs suitable for the disabled.

A senior expert from VNAH, Robert Horvath, expressed the expectationthat Vietnam would continue providing opportunities for the disabledto integrate themselves into the community and enjoy a life free fromdiscrimination.

A general census in 2009 showedthat Vietnam was home to over 12 million people with disabilities,accounting for 15.5 percent of the national population above five yearsold.

Of the people with disabilities, many areable to work and contribute to social development but are refused theirchances due to a number of barriers, including prejudices against thedisabled./.