Strengthening solutions to prevent early marriage and incestuous marriage

After 10 years of implementing the Project " Reducing child marriage and incestuous marriage in ethnic minority areas in the period of 2015 - 2025" in the area, the Health sector of Son La province has received the attention and direction of the People's Committee of Son La province, the coordination of departments, branches and localities in directing and implementing activities to reduce child marriage and incestuous marriage. Up to now, the awareness of the meaning and importance of improving population quality, especially the consequences of child marriage and incestuous marriage of Party committees, authorities, departments, branches, unions, parents, elderly people, main subjects (young men and women) is gradually changing in a positive direction in implementing the Law on Marriage and Family, understanding the harmful effects of child marriage and incestuous marriage.

Information and propaganda work is focused on with many rich and diverse forms: Organizing communication on mass media channels from the province to the grassroots with topics, reports, propaganda, and dissemination of the Party and State's policies and guidelines on Population - Family Planning. Especially strengthening propaganda, deeply reflecting on the harmful effects of early marriage and incestuous marriage. In the period of 2015 - 2025, 113 reports and news articles were created on reducing the situation of early marriage and incestuous marriage; organizing 187 communication campaigns for Party committees, authorities and prestigious people in the community with 19,513 participants; organizing 656 communication campaigns in coordination with local departments, branches and organizations with 52,262 participants...

Propaganda activities on reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage are integrated into the movement of the Women's Union, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union , and are implemented through thematic activities, group activities, direct consultation, legal education on the Law on Marriage and Family, reproductive health of adolescents and youth, family building in the period of industrialization, modernization, population and development. The content focuses on the following issues: reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage, limiting gender imbalance at birth, benefits of premarital health consultation and examination, prevention of thalassemia, prenatal and postnatal screening, reproductive health care of adolescents and youth, as well as health care for the elderly.

In addition, the province has deployed the development and replication of pilot models and specialized models of "Intervention to reduce child marriage and consanguineous marriage"; organized capacity building activities for the team participating in the implementation of the Project; organized specialized seminars and training courses on improving population quality and intervention to reduce child marriage and consanguineous marriage, communication skills, and counseling on reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage; harmful effects of child marriage and consanguineous marriage; intervention solutions to reduce child marriage and consanguineous marriage; improved capacity, fostered knowledge and communication skills on marriage, family, child marriage and consanguineous marriage for the team of Population Collaborators; edited, printed and published 4,500 specialized digital newsletters on the current situation, causes, harmful effects and solutions to reduce child marriage and consanguineous marriage in the province; Edited and released 250 VCDs to promote the current situation, causes and consequences of gender imbalance at birth, printed and distributed 135,000 leaflets...

The Health sector of Son La province has deployed the work of directing, managing, inspecting, evaluating, summarizing and concluding the implementation of the Project to reduce early marriage and consanguineous marriage through many specific activities. The sector has developed plans and issued directives from the province to health facilities; provided instructions and professional processes on communication, health education, pre-marital health consultation and examination, reproductive health care for adolescents and young people; and organized conferences, seminars and training for health and population staff at all levels. In addition, the assignment of tasks to units and individuals has been clearly implemented, linked with monitoring, supervision and periodic or ad hoc reporting as required. The Health sector also coordinates with projects under the Population and Development Program to monitor at the grassroots level, promptly identify difficulties and problems and have solutions to overcome them.

According to the specialized manual population statistics report from the Regional Health Centers, the rate of early marriage and consanguineous marriage in the province tends to decrease over the years: From 17% in 2015 to 2024, it decreased to 11.3% and in the first 6 months of 2025 it was 8.7%; Consanguineous marriage rate: From 0.21% in 2015, decreased to 0.01% in 2024, in the first 6 months of 2025 there were no consanguineous couples.

The implementation of the Project to reduce child marriage and consanguineous marriage in Son La province has brought about practical results, contributing to raising awareness and changing behavior in the community, especially in ethnic minority areas. This is an important foundation for building happy families, developing the race, promoting the industrialization, modernization and sustainable development of the province in the coming years.

Nhu Thuy

Source: https://sonla.gov.vn/tin-van-hoa-xa-hoi/day-manh-giai-phap-ngan-chan-tao-hon-va-hon-nhan-can-huyet-thong-935309