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Vietnam determines to deal with child, incestuous marriages
Vietnam determines to deal with child, incestuous marriages
11/11/19
Both child marriages and incestuous marriages among ethnic minority groups have been a long-term problem for local administrations in Nghệ An and Quảng Bình, although they have taken measures to curb them over the years.
Data from the Ethnic Minority Committee in Nghệ An Province showed there were 902 child couples married from 2014-18, some even as young as 12.
Huổi Tụ Commune
is estimated to have 87 child-marriage couples alone, of which 34
were married under the age of 16.
Statistics from Quảng
Bình Province revealed that 186 child marriages and seven incestuous
marriages took place from 2014-18.
Nguyễn Lương Cường, head
of the Dissemination Office under Quảng Bình Province’s Ethnic Minority
Committee, said the biggest problem was backward traditional practices.
The custom of “stealing
a wife” among the H’Mông ethnic minority group was blamed as one of the
causes for child marriages, said Vì Quang Bảnh, a member of judicial staff
in Tam Hợp Commune, Nghệ An Province.
Cướp vợ (stealing a wife)
is a special H’Mông custom. When a man loves a woman, he must ‘steal’
her on her darkest night and imprison her without food for 2-3
days. If the woman accepts his proposal, he will then ask her family
for permission.
Lack of awareness
among local people was also to blame for the situation, Cường said.
According to UNICEF,
child marriage was a violation of children's rights, and had a negative
impact on physical growth, health, mental and emotional development, and
education opportunities.
It also
affected society as a whole since child marriages reinforced a cycle
of poverty and perpetuated gender discrimination, illiteracy and
malnutrition as well as high infant and maternal mortality rates.
Incest could increase
inherited diseases, as can advanced maternal age at conception, which
increased chromosomal trisomies such as Down's syndrome, a report by the
World Health Organisation said.
Solutions
Both provinces have
taken measures following a Government project titled “Reducing child
marriage and consanguineous marriage in ethnic-minority areas in 2015-25” to
fix the situation.
The goal of the project
is to reduce the number of child marriages by 2-3 per cent each year, and
the number of consanguineous marriages by 4-5 per cent each year. By 2025,
this would basically solve the situation.
However, the project had
been less effective than expected, said Lô Thanh Nhất, vice chairman of
Tương Dương District's People’s Committee in Nghệ An Province.
Dissemination was still
the major solution, he added.
There were no
sanctions to deal with violations so little impact had been made, he said.
Cường, head of
the Dissemination Office under Quảng Bình Province’s Ethnic Minority
Committee, said the province had already set up a steering committee to implement
the project.
Cường suggested
authorised agencies should consider solutions to improve the incomes
of ethnic minority people.
"I think it is one
of the best solutions because child marriages and incestuous marriages were
mainly reported in poor areas," he said./.
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All comments [ 12 ]
Child marriage is prevalent across Vietnam, with almost all localities recording child marriage cases, which have serious consequences for children themselves and for their families and burden the whole of society.
More than 60 million ten-year-old girls around the world will enter adolescence, but millions of girls will be forced to get married to adults regardless of whether they agree or not. Specifically, every day around the world nearly 48,000 girls are forced to get married and about 20,000 women under 18 give birth.
We have to stop this problem now. It has violated human rights of women and children.
Child marriage is not just happening in ethnic minority communities, but is also quite prevalent in the Northern Mountainous Region, the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands.
There are many children with early pregnancies and incomplete anatomical, physiological and psychology functions who have been forced to become parents.
The issue might stem from the influence of backward customs and practices that force children into early marriage, sexual abuse, lack of full understanding of laws relating to the prohibition of child marriage, limited access to reproductive healthcare and economic difficulties.
To address child marriage, the Government should develop an approach in consultation with international organisations, the UN in Vietnam, research institutions and civil society, which focus on changes in social norms to promote gender equality.
There should be interventions for young girls to prevent them dropping out of school, while encouraging and creating favourable conditions for them to enrol in secondary education, vocational training and employment arrangements.
In parallel with preventive measures such as communication, consultation and advocacy to change perceptions, relevant authorities should continue to increase investment in socioeconomic development and in improving the material and spiritual life of the people.
Considering the consequences of child marriage, experts recommended creating a friendly environment in which for adolescents and youths to access services on reproductive healthcare in areas with child marriage and incest.
in the long term, it is necessary to invest more in socioeconomic development, education and healthcare, thereby changing the perception of ethnic minorities, especially younger generations, moving past backward practices and encouraging people to make the right choices in matters of marriage.
The country has done its good to cope with the issue.
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