Combating child marriage and promoting gender equality.

Over the years, the work of promoting gender equality, advancing women's rights, and reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage among ethnic minority communities in the province has received attention and guidance from all levels, sectors, and localities. Thanks to flexible approaches tailored to the specific characteristics of each region and population group, people's awareness has gradually improved, forming a civilized and progressive lifestyle in marriage.

At the end of November, at the "Aspiration to Reach Further" forum held at Yen Bai Ethnic Boarding High School, hundreds of students attentively listened to the story of Ms. Hoang Thi Ly, a Tay ethnic woman from Lang Giau village, Lam Thuong commune. Few would have guessed that this confident and assertive woman was once a shy and introverted girl.

Ly recounted that she got married at 17. While her friends continued their studies and expanded their knowledge, she returned to farming, had children, and struggled to make ends meet. Having to leave her hometown many times to work , she understood more clearly the meaning of education, opportunities, and the right to choose. Upon returning home, overcoming the prejudice that ethnic minority women should only focus on cooking and childcare and not handle important matters, Ly began to develop her family's economy and build a solid home for them...

Amidst the students' enthusiastic applause, Ms. Ly shared this message: "There is nothing women cannot do, especially in family life; with mutual agreement, women can achieve anything. Let's work together to change our dreams and change our lives!"

Like Ly's story, small but lasting changes are taking place every day throughout the province. While in the past, many families in ethnic minority areas considered early marriage to be normal, now more and more parents support their children continuing their education, only getting married when they are mature enough and have a stable career.

To achieve this transformation, along with the efforts of each individual, the role of socio -political organizations has been clearly demonstrated. Among them, the Provincial Women's Union is one of the leading organizations effectively implementing propaganda and mobilization efforts to eliminate prejudices and contribute to changing community behavior regarding gender equality, preventing child marriage, and consanguineous marriage. In November 2025 alone, the Provincial Women's Union coordinated and organized over 120 communication sessions on gender equality, attracting nearly 5,800 students.

According to Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union: “Beyond the school setting, the Provincial Women's Union has implemented many community models such as: “Women's groups to prevent child marriage,” “Women's branches that do not have children under 18,” “Parents' clubs accompanying their children,” and “Gender equality action groups.” Some activities are dramatized in ethnic languages, include competitions to test legal knowledge, and exchanges of communication initiatives… helping people to easily understand and remember the information.”

In reality, child marriage and childbirth among women under 18 mainly occur in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and regions with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, leaving many negative consequences for both families and society. To effectively implement gender equality and prevent child marriage and consanguineous marriage, all levels, sectors, and localities have made many innovations in their communication efforts, both in content and form. This includes the creation of documentary videos reflecting the reality and consequences of child marriage in ethnic languages; and the increased use of slogans, leaflets, billboards, and posters with simple, concise, and easy-to-understand images about the harms and consequences of child marriage and consanguineous marriage.

From 2015 to the present, the Department of Internal Affairs has compiled and distributed over 40,000 leaflets, desk calendars, and Q&A handbooks on marriage and family, prevention and control of domestic violence, prevention and control of child marriage, and consanguineous marriage; printed and distributed over 20,000 training materials; disseminated over 400 reports, news articles, short stories, features, and special pages; organized 60 propaganda sessions and training conferences, attracting 3,000 officials, members, and youth union members from ethnic minority areas in Tram Tau, Mu Cang Chai, Luc Yen, Si Ma Cai, Bac Ha, and Muong Khuong…

Furthermore, provincial-level agencies and units have coordinated the survey and development of 17 new pilot intervention models to reduce child marriage among ethnic minorities in communes with high rates of child marriage, involving over 3,000 participants. These models include: "Border Guards accompanying villagers in saying no to child marriage and consanguineous marriage"; "Youth saying no to child marriage and consanguineous marriage"; "Combating child marriage"; "Educating parents in child care and development linked to marriage and family"... At the commune level, 70 new models have been established, and 199 pilot models are being maintained. These models and clubs hold regular meetings, frequently updating knowledge and coordinating the dissemination of information on policies and laws regarding the prevention and control of child marriage and consanguineous marriage.

Thanks to coordinated efforts, over 90% of people in ethnic minority areas now have access to appropriate information on progressive marriage and reproductive health. In the future, the province will continue to promote the role of socio-political organizations, strengthen communication tailored to each target group, and link the responsibilities of families, communities, and local authorities. These comprehensive solutions are an important foundation for Lao Cai to gradually improve the quality of its population, ensure social security, and achieve sustainable development in ethnic minority areas.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/day-lui-tao-hon-thuc-day-binh-dang-gioi-post888528.html