Spreading the meaning of World Population Day

Enhancing the role of women

The family of Ms. Tran Thi Nga in Tang Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) is one of 10 families selected by Yen Thanh district to be commended for their excellent implementation of population policies. Both she and her husband are farmers. Previously, due to difficult family circumstances, when they first got married, they decided to have few children so they could focus on developing their economy and raising their children.

Later, having both sons and daughters, they decided to stop at two children so they could provide a good upbringing for them. Currently, their eldest child has finished school and is working, while their second child is studying Education at university. Thanks to their hard work, the family has gradually overcome difficulties, and their economic development model has even been selected as a model for the new rural development program in the commune.

In Tang Thanh commune, where the rate of having a third child or more is still over 30%, there are not many families who have successfully implemented the population policy like Ms. Tran Thi Nga's family. Currently, Ms. Nga is also a women's affairs officer in the hamlet, so during the campaign, drawing from her own family's circumstances, she often shares her experiences and receives agreement and support from many women.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy, a population officer in the commune, said: "Currently, population work in the area faces many difficulties because many families, especially those with better economic conditions, want to have more children. To improve the effectiveness of our outreach efforts, we have innovated our methods. In addition to focused outreach and visiting individual families, we highlight real-life examples – families with fewer children, families with only two children who have successfully developed their economy and raised their children well – in order to replicate these successful models."

Throughout Yen Thanh district, among the 10 families recently honored at the World Population Day celebration, each family has a different situation. However, the common point among these families is that they raise their children well, live harmoniously and happily, and many are exemplary families with four generations living together.

Previously, Yen Thanh was one of the leading districts in effectively implementing plans to improve population quality, such as: Plan No. 1544/KH-UBND dated September 7, 2020, of the District People's Committee on the implementation of the Vietnam Population Strategy, 2020-2025 period, with consideration to 2030; and the Plan to implement the Project "Strengthening solutions to stabilize birth rates and improve population quality in Yen Thanh district".

However, due to its specific characteristics, despite giving high priority, population work in the area still faces difficulties, especially in reducing the rate of third and subsequent births.

In the district, the birth rate and natural population growth rate, while declining, are not yet stable. The rate of having a third child or more is showing signs of a sharp increase again, especially among some officials, Party members, and civil servants who have lacked exemplary conduct and leadership in implementing population policies. In our opinion, there are many reasons, but the most difficult is still the old customs and traditions; many families still have the idea of ​​wanting to have a son to continue the family lineage and to have a backup child.

In light of this situation, in the coming period, Yen Thanh district will continue to promote the role of leaders, strengthen the leadership and guidance of Party committees and authorities at all levels on population and development work. At the same time, it will raise awareness and emphasize the responsibility of all levels of government, organizations, individual families, and the entire society regarding the meaning and importance of protecting and effectively implementing the rights to healthcare for women and girls; promote gender equality and enhance the status of women and girls, gradually eliminating the ideology of valuing men over women.

Mr. Hoang Danh Truyen - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Thanh District

Last June, for the first time, women from the communes of Chieu Luu, Nam Can, and Huu Lap (Ky Son district) participated in a meaningful event: the "Women and Population and Development" competition. With the theme "Connecting with Love – Complete Happiness," the competition included various activities such as greetings, knowledge quizzes, and talent showcases.

This is a meaningful platform that helps women from ethnic minority communities learn about population policies. Through this, it contributes to raising awareness among women's association members and the general public about the Party and State's policies and laws on population work in the new context; the role, responsibilities, and contributions of women in all aspects of life; and knowledge and skills in reproductive health care at different ages and stages… thereby improving their quality of life.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Quang – Head of the Communication and Population Department, Provincial Population and Family Planning Sub-Department, added: Women play a crucial role in implementing population policies and constitute a large force in society. Therefore, we want to create more opportunities for women to express themselves and affirm their position in building happy families and moving towards gender equality.

Unleashing the power of gender equality

"Leveraging the power of gender equality, empowering the voices of women and girls to unleash the boundless potential of our world" is the theme ofWorld Population Day2023. This is a very topical issue, reflecting a major problem facing the global community. In Nghe An, the implementation of gender equality and the promotion of the value of women and girls have also received attention and achieved many important results.

Specifically, in the political sphere, the percentage of women participating in Party committees at all levels has increased in each Party congress term. In the economic, labor, and employment sectors, an average of 31,000-33,000 jobs are created annually, with the percentage of women reaching 38.38%.

In the fields of health, education, and training, the literacy rate of women aged 15-60 in the province is equal to that of men at 91.99%. By the end of 2021, the percentage of newly enrolled female students in vocational education reached 30.61%; the percentage of female master's degree holders reached 43.8% by 2020; the percentage of pregnant women accessing HIV care and prevention services for mother-to-child transmission was 33.8%; and the percentage of pregnant women receiving all three prenatal checkups during their three trimesters reached 85.9%.

With the results achieved, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan - Head of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Department, stated:

World Population Day 2023, with the theme "Promoting Gender Equality," is an opportunity for us to review the gender equality efforts in our province. However, it is also necessary to acknowledge that, alongside the achievements, gender gaps still exist, especially in remote and rural areas. Compared to men, women still face certain disadvantages.

On World Population Day 2023, we emphasize the need to promote gender equality to enable the realization of the dreams of 8 billion people. This process must begin with listening to the voices of women, girls, and vulnerable groups, and building laws and policies that enable them to exercise their rights and make informed decisions.

To commemorate World Population Day 2023, the Nghe An Population Department simultaneously implemented many activities and organized propaganda, workshops, and various forms of information provision and reproductive health care services, family planning, and population quality improvement for people in remote, mountainous, coastal and seaside areas…

The main purpose is to raise awareness and responsibility among Party committees, government agencies, departments, mass organizations, and the entire society regarding the role and importance of population and development work for the rapid and sustainable development of the country, in accordance with Resolution No. 21 on population work in the new situation. In particular, it aims to strengthen the synchronized, active, and responsible participation of all levels, sectors, and strata of the population, as well as the assistance of international organizations, so that Nghe An can soon achieve replacement fertility levels, reduce the rate of increase in gender imbalance at birth, and proactively adapt to the "aging population" phase.