Letter of the VWU’s President to the International Olympic Committee. Attention: International Olympic Committee (IOC) Posted: Jun 07,2012
On behalf of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU), I would like to extend my best compliments to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)!
We got to know that Dow Chemical has been made a sponsor of the Olympic Games from 2012 until 2020. Dow Chemical is one of major producers and suppliers of the Agent Orange which was used by the American Army during the war time in the South of Vietnam for over 10 years from 1961 to 1971. There is no doubt about the horrific damages the dioxin has done to the environment and millions of people from generation to generation in Vietnam, including many women and children who are suffering illnesses, diseases and living in poverty. The Agent Orange has had negative effects on hundreds of thousand of Vietnamese children of the 4th generation who were born with severe congenital deformities.
For decades, international public opinions have denounced Dow’s immoral actions and its violations of international laws, demanding it and other companies to compensate the victims of Agent Orange in different countries including Vietnam. However, Dow refuses to accept responsibility or makes compensations to tragic victims.
The Olympic Games are the symbols of the friendship & solidarity between the continents, the fairness, progress and peace in the world. We are concerned that the acceptance of Dow sponsorship will negatively influence the image and reputation of the Olympic Games. With the functions of representing and protecting rights and interests of women in Vietnam, the Vietnam Women’s Union would like to call upon IOC to reconsider your decision to accept Dow Chemical Corporation as a sponsor of the Olympic events, thus preserving the good images and reputation of the Olympics.
