Changes in the area where people want to have sons to continue the family line
(Baonghean.vn) - Building communes and wards with no third children is an important goal that Nghe An has been implementing for many years. In fact, despite many difficulties, there have been many positive examples of good work in Population - Family Planning.
Positive signals
Nghi Hop Commune is the only locality in Nghi Loc District where the birth rate of the third child or more in 2018 decreased by 50%. To achieve this result, it is not easy because Nghi Loc is still an area with a high birth rate of the third child or more and it occurs in most communes. Meanwhile, Nghi Hop is a commune with many risks because most people here still attach importance to having a son to continue the family line. In the commune, there are still special hamlets where the birth rate is always higher than the average of the commune and district.
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| The provincial Department of Population and Family Planning assessed the commune that reduced the rate of third births in Nghi Hop commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: My Ha |
The positive change has only occurred in the last 2 years after the commune simultaneously implemented many solutions. The most prominent is the consultation of documents related to population work to link population responsibilities to all levels, sectors, organizations and unions.
In 2018 alone, the commune has consulted on 18 plans, including many meaningful activities such as coordinating with organizations to organize communication and propaganda activities on family planning, implementing social activities to provide contraceptives, organizing the "Families do not have a third child or more" club, organizing talks for teenagers and children about school violence. At the same time, the commune also promoted the signing of commitments in households, the commitment signing rate reached 99.1%.
In the direction, the commune government determined that cadres and party members must be pioneers, go first, and properly implement the population and family planning policies, with absolutely no cases of party members violating them. Every year, the local budget also allocates a portion of the budget to invest in population work, providing financial support for the implementation of the Population and Family Planning campaign.
"The commune always determines that population concern is to improve people's living standards.
Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha - Chairman of Nghi Hop Commune People's Committee also said: "The commune always determines that population concern is to improve people's living standards, so all population activities aimed at reducing birth rates are supported by the commune. Fortunately, after efforts from a commune with many children, the birth rate of the third child or more is now only 10%, down more than 50% compared to last year. People have also begun to be aware of having fewer children to raise them well and have conditions for economic development."
In Thanh Chuong district, Xuan Tuong commune is also a typical unit, with the rate of giving birth to the third child or more from 29.29% (in 2017) down to 12.1% (in 2018).
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| Thanh Chuong district leaders inspect the service provision model at Ngoc Lam commune health station. Photo: Manh Dat |
This result is thanks to the fact that in recent times, the commune government has implemented many effective solutions, especially focusing on propaganda work, linking communication with integrating the provision of reproductive health care and family planning services; including the implementation of population policy in village conventions, community conventions, regulations of agencies, units, and schools located in the area...
In the whole province, Thanh Chuong is also a typical district when in the area there is Ngoc Lam commune - the only commune in Nghe An that has not had a third or more child for 3 consecutive years, in which, there are many villages that have not had anyone violating the population policy for many consecutive years such as Cha Luan village for 10 years, Lap village for 7 years, Kim Hong village for 5 years and Nhan Nhinh village for 4 years.
Ngoc Lam's success is a motivation for other units to strive so that more and more units will be rewarded for doing well in population policy.
Mr. Nguyen Hien Ngoc - Director of the Center for Population and Family Planning of Thanh Chuong district said: "After successfully building the model in Ngoc Lam commune, we also popularized the commune's good practices so that they can be replicated and developed. Currently, although the implementation still has many difficulties, the success of Ngoc Lam is a motivation for other units to strive together so that more and more units will be rewarded for doing well in population policies."
"Difficult" commune overcomes difficulties
At this time, the Provincial Department of Population and Family Planning is evaluating communes that have done well in population policy in 2018 to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for commendation.
Notably, although the third child birth rate in the province was still quite high in 2018, in many localities, the authorities and people were very aware of implementing the Population - Family Planning work. Therefore, compared to last year, this year the list of proposed rewards was larger, and the implementation results were also better.
Specifically, the whole province has 2 communes proposed for commendation for not having any third child, which are Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) and Yen Thang commune (Tuong Duong). In addition, there are 11 communes that have rapidly reduced the birth rate of third children or more by 50% compared to 2017, which are Hung Loi commune (Hung Nguyen), Xuan Tuong commune (Thanh Chuong), Chau Kim commune, Dong Van commune (Que Phong), Chau Loc commune, Nam Son commune (Quy Hop), Con Cuong town (Con Cuong), Nghi Hop commune (Nghi Loc), Thach Giam commune, Yen Tinh commune (Tuong Duong).
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| Consulting on contraceptives for people in Chau Ly commune - Quy Hop. Photo: My Ha |
Looking at the list of units that have done well in population policy is also encouraging because the communes that were honored this time are mostly poor communes in mountainous and disadvantaged districts. This also shows the positive changes of the people here when they have begun to see the consequences of having many children and poverty.
Coming to Yen Tinh commune (Tuong Duong), accompanying Ms. Luong Thi Gian - Canh Toong village population collaborator to households to propagate and encourage people not to have a third child, she also shared a lot of experiences in the implementation process: "A few years ago, people were almost unaware of contraception, so propaganda was very difficult. But now people are aware of this issue. Therefore, now we will screen the subjects, any family with a daughter who is almost grown up, we will go talk to them to advise them not to drop out of school and get married early. Any sisters who have only one child, we will go to persuade them not to have more children to have conditions for economic development".
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| Local commitments on implementing population policies well. Photo: My Ha |
Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong - Population officer of Yen Tinh commune also admitted: "Currently, 70% of the commune's population is still poor. Therefore, if we do not do a good job in population work, poverty will persist and population quality will be difficult to improve."
In 2018, the birth rate of the third child or more in the province was 22%, an increase of more than 5% compared to 2017. Meanwhile, the birth rate and birth rate of the third child in mountainous districts are basically lower than in the plains and special regions, especially in mountainous districts where the birth rate is below 10%.
The success of mountainous districts is a very good premise for improving population quality.
Mr. Nguyen Trung Thanh - Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Population and Family Planning affirmed: The Department of Population and Family Planning will continue to advise superiors to prioritize bringing the population campaign to disadvantaged areas, strengthen the implementation of programs such as pre- and post-natal screening, reduce gender imbalance, and adapt to population aging. In addition, continue to promote propaganda work, improve knowledge and skills for adolescents and young people on reproductive health, sexual health, and the consequences of early marriage and consanguineous marriage to raise awareness and consciousness of the people.
