The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has raised the alarm over the serious consequences caused by Vietnamese couples selecting the sex of their babies, saying that the surplus of adult men would amount to 10 percent of the female population by 2035.

In its report “Recent changes in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) in Vietnam” published on Sept. 10, UNFPA said that Vietnamese couples’ increasing access to sex determination and selection technology is the main factor behind the nation’s current sex ratio imbalance.

The report also said that the SRB has changed dramatically, rising from 106.2 male births per 100 female births in 2002 to 112.1 in 2008. The SRB might even pass the 115 mark within three years, it said.

If the sex ratio imbalance continues to increase, men who were born after 2005 and coming of marriageable age in 2035, will find themselves in much greater numbers than women the same age. The scarcity of women could increase the pressure on them to marry at a younger age. This may also encourage human trafficking, which has already been seen in Vietnam, in response to this imbalance, according to the report.

UNFPA also warned that the consequences of a significant imbalance between men and women should be taken into account in all related policy decisions, including stricter enforcement of the regulations governing sex-selection services in the country.

It suggested that the nation should promote the women’s role and value in society and overhaul its social welfare system./.