Raising public awareness of gender equality as well as improving status of women and girls are considered as keys to reduce the unbalanced sex ratio at birth. (Photo: VNA)
Lang Son (VNA) – Raising public awareness of gender equality as wellas improving status of women and girls are considered as keys to reduce theunbalanced sex ratio at birth, said Deputy General Director of the GeneralOffice for Population - Family Planning Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan on October 8.
At a meeting held on October 8 in response to the International Day for theGirl Child (October 11) in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son, Lanstressed gender imbalance at birth, with more boys than girls being born, isincreasing rapidly in both rural and urban areas across the country.
Currently, the rate is around 114.8 boys/100 girls, with Lang Son provincerecording a higher figure of 116.3 boys/100 girls in 2018, she said.
The imbalanced sex ratio at birth will negatively affect Vietnam’s populationstructure in the future, resulting in an excess of men. If there is no timelymeasure put in place, 2.3 - 4.3 million men in Vietnam will have no chance tofind wives by 2050, Ngoc underlined.
Besides, the imbalance could have grave consequences for the country’ssocio-economic development as well as the lives of women, men, families andcommunities.
A shortage of women also causes an increase in women’s earlymarriage, prostitution, trafficking of women and girls, and domestic violenceagainst women, among others, she added.
Lan expressed her belief that with drastic efforts from competent sectors andbranches and the whole community, gender imbalance at birth will be improved,bringing a brighter future to Vietnamese women and girl children.
After the meeting, a wide range of activities and parade in response to the InternationalDay for the Girl Child were organised on Lang Son city’s streets./.
VNA
