Along with many provinces and cities across the country, Phu Tho province's population work is facing difficulties and challenges as the gender imbalance at birth remains high. Faced with forecasts of the consequences of gender imbalance at birth, all levels, sectors and localities in the province have been implementing many solutions to reduce this situation.
Distributing propaganda leaflets in the communication campaign integrated with providing reproductive health/family planning services in Tan Minh commune, Thanh Son district.
Gender imbalance at birth has appeared in Vietnam since the early years of the 21st century, expressed through the sex ratio at birth (SRB). SRB is calculated by the number of boys compared to the number of girls born alive in the same period of time, usually calculated within a year. This ratio is in the range of 103 to 106 boys compared to 100 girls (103-106/100) is considered the balance level or also known as the natural biological level. A sex ratio outside the above range (higher or lower) is considered a sex imbalance at birth.
In Phu Tho, the gender imbalance at birth appeared in 2006, with the SRB difference being 111.3/100 and increasing in 2009 to 116.7/100. The cause is due to the heavy influence of Confucian ideology, the preference for sons of many individuals and couples; easy access, abuse of technological development and advances in modern medicine in supporting fetal sex selection; social security for the elderly is not guaranteed, so people have the mentality of relying on their children (sons) when they are old...
To control the gender imbalance at birth, Phu Tho Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 26-NQ/TU dated June 5, 2009 on continuing to promote the implementation of population and family planning work in the 2009-2015 period; Plan No. 47-KH/TU dated December 22, 2017 on implementing Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee on population work in the new situation; The Provincial People's Committee issued the Project to reduce gender imbalance at birth in the 2011-2015 period, the Plan to implement the Project to control gender imbalance at birth in the 2016-2020, 2021-2025 periods...; the implementation directives have been specified in 100% of districts, cities, towns, communes, wards and townships.
Intervention activities are carried out synchronously and in accordance with the actual situation of each locality such as: Building support models, improving the status of women and girls; establishing and maintaining the activities of women's clubs not giving birth to a third child or more, adolescent/youth clubs, pre-marital clubs, typical girlfriend clubs in secondary and high schools; organizing communication campaigns on gender imbalance at birth, propagating the Law on Gender Equality, the Population Ordinance, the Government's Decree on prohibiting the selection of fetal sex in any form and regulations on administrative sanctions for violations of gender equality...
Thanh Son district has 32 ethnic groups living together, of which the Muong ethnic group accounts for over 56% of the total population. Economic conditions and transportation are still difficult, and people's awareness is uneven.
Comrade Ha Quoc Viet - Head of the Department of Population - Health Education Communication (Thanh Son District Medical Center) said: "To improve the effectiveness of communication about population in general and gender imbalance at birth in particular, the Center has implemented many measures, focusing on promoting the role of the population collaborator network in direct communication activities in the community. In addition, models to reduce gender imbalance at birth in 23 communes and towns and 10 secondary and high schools are also regularly maintained and achieved effectiveness; at the same time, in meetings and conferences, the dissemination and implementation of regulations strictly prohibiting the provision of information and the implementation of services related to fetal gender selection in any form are integrated to medical staff and medical facilities in the area".
With the strong direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels; the close coordination of relevant departments, branches, organizations, agencies and units; the great efforts of the Health - Population system and the consensus and support of the whole society, after 15 years of active implementation, Phu Tho has controlled the rate of increase in SRB and gradually reduced the gap in SRB between boys and girls such as: SRB decreased from 117.4/100 (2010) to 114.15/100 (2023).
Currently, Phu Tho is not among the 6 provinces with the highest SRB in the country, but it is still a province with a high rate of gender imbalance at birth. It is estimated that by 2026, when children born after 2006 reach marriageable age, Phu Tho will have a surplus of males compared to females of the same age by about 10%.
To address the gender imbalance at birth, it is necessary to continue to prioritize the implementation and promulgation of policies to encourage women and girls, improve the status of women in the family and in society; effectively solve the social security regime for the elderly; promote communication for high-risk groups (having given birth to one or two daughters); pay special attention to improving the effectiveness of the implementation of legal regulations on controlling gender imbalance at birth as stipulated in laws, ordinances and decrees; coordinate with other sectors in implementing inspection, examination and handling of publishing and medical service establishments that violate population policies on fetal sex selection; and prioritize resources for addressing the goals of gender imbalance at birth.
Red Army
Source: https://baophutho.vn/kiem-soat-tinh-trang-mat-can-bang-gioi-tinh-khi-sinh-222433.htm
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