Enhancing the role and status of girls.

"Girls deserve to be loved and protected."

Luong Thi Phuong Trang is currently a 9th-grade student at Que Phong Ethnic Boarding Junior High School. A Khmu ethnic minority girl who grew up in Tri Le commune, she is also one of the school's outstanding students, consistently achieving excellent grades and high academic results for many years.

Trang comes from a disadvantaged background; her family is classified as poor, and she has two younger siblings, one of whom is a newborn. To be able to attend boarding school, Luong Thi Phuong Trang has gone through a process of hard work, perseverance, and overcoming her circumstances…

"Enhancing the role and status of girls contributes to reducing gender imbalance at birth" is the theme of the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child. Photo: MH

Trang was also the female student representing tens of thousands of female students in the province, speaking at the media event commemorating International Day of the Girl Child, which was recently held in Que Phong district.

Standing before the audience, Trang shared her story and addressed the still-misguided views on the issue of "preferring sons over daughters" today: "Since ancient times, girls have suffered many disadvantages. Today, although society has shown more concern with specific policies for girls, prejudiced discrimination between men and women, violence, and gender inequality still exist, with girls being the victims both now and in the future. I personally hope that, in order for girls to develop equally, to have the opportunity to study and work, we need to pay attention to issues of discrimination and violence against women and children. Everyone hopes that girls worldwide will receive better education and protection, be treated equally, and have a bright and happy future."

This year's International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated with the theme "Enhancing the role and status of girls to help reduce gender imbalance at birth," aiming to change perceptions and promote concern for girls in the community. In response to this holiday, the Department of Health - Population and Family Planning of the province organized a communication program in Que Phong district, conveying a meaningful message: "Girls deserve to be loved and protected."

Regarding this, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan, Head of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Department, stated: Since 2022, the United Nations General Assembly has declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child to create more opportunities for girls and raise awareness of gender inequality, including in education, nutrition, health, protection from discrimination and violence, and the elimination of child marriage. This is also a long-standing problem in Vietnam, including Nghe An province.

Therefore, International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated annually to create opportunities for girls to fight for their rights, rise above challenges, and raise awareness. At the same time, it's a time for the whole world to pay attention to issues of discrimination and violence against women and children. Everyone hopes that girls globally will receive better education and protection, be treated equally, and have a brighter, happier future. Through this communication program, we also hope to contribute to raising awareness, encouraging and motivating people to implement population policies effectively, and promoting gender equality.

The "Golden Bell" quiz competition tests knowledge about reproductive health. Photo: Duc Anh

To implement International Day of the Girl Child, this year the Department of Health has issued a plan to organize communication activities through mass media channels at all levels and direct communication channels at the grassroots level; organize conferences, seminars, exchanges, and discussions...

Specifically, the content focuses on disseminating and publicizing documents, policies, and laws of the Party and State such as: the Law on Gender Equality; the Law on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence; the Law on Marriage and Family; and publicizing legal provisions prohibiting sex selection of fetuses.

Reduce gender imbalance at birth.

One of the important issues addressed on International Day of the Girl Child is the gender imbalance at birth. This has been a long-standing problem in Vietnam, including Nghe An province.

Currently, to eliminate gender imbalance at birth, the biologically normal fertility rate should be 105-107 boys per 100 girls. However, in Vietnam, while the 1999 population and housing census showed a sex ratio at birth of 107 boys per 100 girls, this ratio still fluctuates around 112.2 boys per 100 girls. Gender imbalance at birth is trending upwards and spreading across rural and urban areas and all regions. In Nghe An province, the sex ratio at birth increased from 111 boys per 100 girls (in 2009) to 114 boys per 100 girls (in 2019). By the end of December 2021, the gender imbalance at birth in Nghe An was alarmingly high at 116.78 boys per 100 girls.

Students in Que Phong district celebrate International Day of the Girl Child. Photo: MH

Regarding the issuegender imbalance at birthThere are many causes, among which the root cause is the desire of families to have sons due to social and religious beliefs that require sons to carry on the responsibility of ancestor worship and lineage continuation. Worryingly, despite societal development, these beliefs remain deeply ingrained in the subconscious of individuals, couples, families, and clans. Currently, the misuse of scientific and technological advancements that allow for early fetal sex determination, coupled with the lax enforcement of laws prohibiting sex selection, makes addressing the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam a challenging task.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ba Tan, Head of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Department, the gender imbalance at birth will negatively affect Vietnam's population structure in the future, leading to an excess of men in society. Furthermore, without timely interventions, it is projected that by 2050 Vietnam will face a shortage of 2.3 to 4.3 million women.

If left unchecked, the gender imbalance at birth can have serious consequences for the country's economic and social development, affecting the lives of women, men, families, and communities. Simultaneously, it will cause long-term social and demographic consequences such as increased pressure on girls to marry early, increased prostitution, HIV/AIDS, trafficking of women and children, and domestic violence against women and girls, increased gender inequality, divorce, social instability, and a decline in overall health and reproductive health.

Leaders of the Provincial Population and Family Planning Department present gifts to students in Que Phong district. Photo: My Ha.

In recent years, to contribute to raising social awareness about gender equality, the Population sector has invested significantly in communication work. This includes implementing a series of reproductive health projects with various activities such as: the "Golden Bell" competition on reproductive health knowledge; giving gifts to disadvantaged girls who achieve high academic results; and organizing communication activities in response to the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11) every year.

The sector has also organized hundreds of communication and counseling sessions on adolescent reproductive health, integrating cultural and artistic activities. Simultaneously, it has organized many vibrant and engaging activities to convey messages such as: "Being a girl is wonderful," "Giving equality - Receiving love," "Helping girls' dreams take flight," and "Being a girl to shine"... In particular, to help ensure the safety of girls by preventing child marriage, many effective clubs have been established, such as "Life Skills and Adolescent Reproductive Health" clubs in schools; "Pre-marital" clubs; and organized exchanges on reproductive health care in schools, providing reproductive health check-ups and counseling for students... all aimed at helping students improve their skills while fostering strong self-confidence and self-esteem.

Faced with the alarming gender imbalance at birth, in 2021, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Plan No. 525/KH-UBND on implementing the Project to control gender imbalance at birth for the period 2021-2025. The main objective of this plan is to strengthen activities such as propaganda, information provision, legal dissemination, communication, advocacy, counseling, intervention, and support. Through these efforts, the aim is to raise awareness, understanding, and responsibility among individuals, families, and communities in complying with legal regulations prohibiting sex selection of fetuses in any form.

My Ha