Nghe An students communicate in response to International Day of the Girl Child

International Day of the Girl Childheld once a year, to create opportunities for girls to fight, rise up and raise awareness. At the same time, this is a time for the whole world to pay attention to the issues of discrimination and violence against women and children.

International Day of the Girl Child is also an opportunity to raise awareness about gender equality and to give girls more opportunities. They have the right to a safe, healthy and educated life, not only during their crucial formative years but also as they grow into women.

Speaking at the program, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Provincial Department of Population and Family Planning mentioned the issue of gender equality and affirmed that in recent years, the role and position of girls have been increasingly affirmed in Vietnamese society.

However, in addition to the achievements, ensuring gender equality between men and women still has many shortcomings and challenges. Particularly in the field of Population and Development, the mentality of wanting to have a son is still quite common, due to the influence of Asian culture and the ideology of male superiority over female, the mentality of preferring and wanting to have a son to "have support in old age"; to have a child to "continue the family line"... is deeply ingrained in the subconscious of many Vietnamese people.

This is also the root cause of the phenomenon.gender imbalanceAt birth. Currently, the imbalanced sex ratio at birth in Nghe An has become a challenge, an alarm bell for population work, when the sex ratio at birth in Nghe An is 116.65 boys/100 girls (higher than the national sex ratio of 112.0 boys/100 girls).

The imbalance in the sex ratio at birth will negatively affect the future population structure of Vietnam, leading to a surplus of men in society. Without timely intervention, it is predicted that by 2050 Vietnam will be short of 2.3 to 4.3 million women.

Gender imbalance at birth can also cause serious consequences for the country's economic and social development and affect the lives of women, men, families and communities, causing long-term social and demographic consequences such as increasing pressure on girls to marry early, increasing prostitution, HIV/AIDS, trafficking of women and children and other forms of domestic violence against women and girls, increasing gender inequality, divorce, social instability, decline in overall health, reproductive health...

“Promoting gender equality and contributing to reducing gender imbalance at birth” is also the main theme of this year's International Day of the Girl Child.

Responding to the International Day of the Girl Child, at the ceremony, leaders of the Population sector suggested that each person should take positive actions to support activities to promote the power of gender equality, raise the voices of women and girls to unleash the unlimited potential of our world.

In the coming time, the industry also recommends that the government, relevant departments and sectors continue to innovate propaganda and education with various appropriate contents and forms to create supportive public opinion and gradually eliminate the distinction between boys and girls in the minds of many people; focus on gender stereotypes, the psychology of preferring boys over girls, and further promote men's participation for gender equality.

In addition, strengthen coordination with all levels and sectors to organize events and communication campaigns on gender imbalance at birth, gender equality and deploy information provision, consulting models, health care services on gender imbalance at birth, gender equality,... with priority given to remote, mountainous, coastal and offshore areas.

On this occasion, the Provincial Department of Population and Family Planning awarded 10 scholarships to 10 female students with difficult circumstances and good academic achievements in Quynh Luu district.

Immediately after the celebration, students from Ho Xuan Huong Secondary School, Quynh Lam Secondary School and Quynh Chau Secondary School also had many communication activities to respond to International Day of the Girl Child.