Communication campaign kicks off to address gender imbalance hinh anh 1At the ceremony to launch communication campaign. (Photo: VNA)

Vinh Phuc (VNA) – A communication campaign was kicked off at a ceremony in northern Vinh Phuc province on October 24 to raise public awareness of imbalanced sex ratio at birth in Vietnam.

The campaign, launched by the General Office for Population and Family Planning (GOPFP) of the Ministry of Health, aims to urge the nation to provide girls with all possible conditions to promote and heighten their status in society.

It will increase people’s awareness of gender imbalance at birth occurring in Vietnam and its impacts on the country’s sustainable development for the enforcement of the government’s policies in gender equality and the prevention of sex selection abortion.

In his remarks at the launching ceremony, GOPFP Deputy Director General Le Canh Nhac said Vietnam is facing a rising imbalance in the male-to female sex ratio at birth in Vietnam since 2001.

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), in 2000, the country’s sex ratio at birth was at normal levels and was estimated to be fairly close to normal (105 boys to 100 girls).

The ratio increased to 112.2 in 2014 and climbed to 118 in 2015, Nhac said, warning that if it continues, about 2.3 – 4.3 million Vietnamese men will have no chance of finding partners by 2050.

During the event, local authorities of Vinh Phuc province signed a commitment to participating in the joint effort to address gender imbalance at birth and facilitate the development of local girls.-VNA
VNA