In the Population Law project that is seeking public opinion, the Ministry of Health proposed raising the administrative fine to 100 million VND for the act of choosing the sex of a fetus, in order to prevent gender imbalance in Vietnam.
According to the Ministry of Health , the act of choosing the sex of the fetus is one of the main causes of the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth - a demographic problem that has left many long-term consequences.
The imbalance in the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam is becoming a challenge. In 2006, the sex ratio at birth was 109.8 boys/100 live births - exceeding the natural balance (103-107); in 2015 it was 112.8, and in 2024 it was 111.4. Thus, the sex ratio at birth is always high.
It is predicted that if the sex ratio at birth remains the same as it is now, Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million men aged 15-49 by 2039 and increase to 2.5 million by 2059. This will lead to the risk of breaking down the family structure, a part of men will have to marry late, will not be able to marry, increase the situation of trafficking of women, girls, prostitution, gender violence, transnational crime.
According to the latest data, in 2024, for every 100 girls born, there will be 111.4 boys - far exceeding the natural balance (about 106 boys/100 girls). This situation is particularly concentrated in the northern provinces, notably Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc (118.5), Hanoi (118.1), Hung Yen (116.7)...
Meanwhile, the southern provinces are maintaining a near-balanced gender ratio, ranging from 105 to 108 - a level considered reasonable.
Faced with this situation, in the Draft Population Law, the Ministry of Health stated that in addition to continuing to inherit the provisions prohibiting the act of selecting the sex of the fetus in any form of the Population Ordinance, it proposed to increase the fine to 100 million VND for individuals who violate the law. Currently, the maximum fine is 30 million VND for individuals who violate the law in the field of population.
Along with increasing the level of fines, the Ministry of Health also proposed to periodically publicize the list of localities with high gender imbalance rates, while strengthening communication and educating the community to change behavior and enhance the role and position of women and girls; and include content on eliminating discrimination, gender stereotypes, male preference, and discrimination against girls or boys.
According to the Ministry of Health, the policy on reducing gender imbalance at birth and bringing the gender ratio at birth back to a natural balance will create a legal basis to effectively prevent the abuse of science and technology to select the gender of the fetus, prevent and reduce gender imbalance at birth, and move towards gender balance at birth according to the natural laws of reproduction.../.
(Vietnam+)
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/de-xuat-co-the-phat-100-trieu-dong-neu-chon-gioi-tinh-thai-nhi-post1042140.vnp
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