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Campaign calls for joint efforts to end gender imbalance at birth

Hanoi , September 29 (VNA) - A campaign was launched in Hanoi on September 28 to call for more efforts from the Government and relevant agencies to stop the gender imbalance at birth, one of the forms of discrimination.

Launched by the Vietnam Farmers’ Association (VFA), the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the campaign is also to raise public awareness of the causes and consequences of choosing the gender of baby.

In his opening speech, VFA President Nguyen Quoc Cuong said the gender ratio at birth remains high in Vietnam , increasing to 113.8 boys per 100 girls in 2013 from 106.2 boys per 100 girls in 2000, and the trend is growing.

If the situation is not improved, Vietnam is likely to see 2.3 to 4.3 million men unable to find wives by 2050, he added.

He attributed the gender imbalance at birth to preconceptions that prefer son to daughter, saying this brings about negative impacts on the country’s population structure in the future.

Arthur Erken, UNFPA Chief Representative in Vietnam , said the gender inequality and the underestimation of women and girls are the root causes of the newborn gender imbalance.

This requires measures to bring the equality to women and girls in order to ensure their human rights and dignity, she said, noting that the men also need to get involved in changing the social and cultural preconceptions.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet, VWU Vice Chairwoman pledged to further increase communication efforts, thus improving the role women in families and the society.

In the framework of the event, several workshops and conferences will be organised in Hanoi, northern provinces of Hai Duong an Bac Ninh to promote the campaign.
VNA/VNP


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