Raising awareness on child marriage and incestuous marriage from the “Leaders of Change” model

Launching ceremony of the "Leaders of Change" Club of Quang Lam Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, Bao Lam District, Cao Bang Province

Change from the insiders

Quang Lam Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, Bao Lam District, Cao Bang Province has nearly 100% of ethnic minority students, mainly Mong, Dao, Nung, Tay, San Chi. The situation of early marriage here is still quite complicated, after Tet holiday, some Dao and Mong students often intend to drop out of school to stay home and get married.

Since May 2023, the school has established the “Leaders of Change” Club with 30 members to enhance knowledge for ethnic minority students on health care skills, gender knowledge, gender equality; helping them change themselves and their families, and then the community. In particular, the Club focuses on promoting the consequences of early marriage and incestuous marriage.

Teacher Bui Bao Ngoc, Team Leader of Quang Lam Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, said: The "Leader of Change" Club operates once a month, on the 15th of each month. The activities of each meeting are organized by topic, revolving around issues of gender knowledge, early marriage, incestuous marriage, etc. The methods of organizing the Club's activities can be: group discussions, organizing competitions, games, solving situations, acting, etc.

The form of propaganda, both presenting content and showing real-life examples, helps students easily understand and correctly perceive behavior in preventing and responding to violence and child abuse, especially reproductive health issues and underage marriage.

Ma Thi Lan, a Mong ethnic student, grade 8A, Quang Lam Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, said: Since joining the club, I have better understood the consequences of early marriage, so I have participated in propagating to my family and friends where I live that they should not get married early when they are not of marriageable age; informing them about the harmful effects of early marriage and incestuous marriage. After being propagandized, they have understood better and no longer intend to get married early.

The “Leaders of Change” Club, through many activities such as drawing, presentations, etc., has raised awareness about early marriage, incestuous marriage, etc. for students.

Similarly, the "Leaders of Change" Club of Nam Mon Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province was established in May 2022, with 25 members who are students from grades 6 to 9.

Teacher Pham Thi Kim Chung, Head of the Youth Union, presenter of the "Leader of Change" Club of Nam Mon Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, said: With the support and guidance of the Women's Union staff, through group discussion activities, drawing, acting, etc., the members of the Club are equipped with knowledge about children's rights, gender equality, prevention of early marriage and incestuous marriage, etc. Thereby, creating positive changes in attitudes, awareness and behavior related to gender inequality issues and some backward customs that still exist in the children themselves and where they live.

Lung Thi Phuong Thao, a Mong ethnic minority student in grade 8B at Nam Mon Boarding Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities in Bac Ha District, shared that Mong people often get married early. As a member of the “Leaders of Change” Club, she has been equipped with a lot of knowledge, so she will actively promote so that her friends do not get married early.

The “Leaders of Change” Clubs established by Women's Unions at all levels in collaboration with schools help equip students in remote areas with useful knowledge and skills.

Practical effectiveness

The "Leaders of Change" Club model has contributed to raising awareness of gender equality and the harmful effects of early marriage and incestuous marriage for students at schools in mountainous areas.

According to teacher Vu Manh Cuong, Principal of Quang Lam Ethnic Boarding Secondary School, Bao Lam District, Cao Bang Province: In the 2023-2024 school year, the school has established a school counseling team, directing teachers in charge of subjects to integrate knowledge about the harmful effects of early marriage into lessons, especially through the activities of the "Leader of Change" Club, promptly grasping information, thereby mobilizing students not to drop out of school to get married.

Thanks to that, the rate of students dropping out of school to get married has decreased. If in the 2022-2023 school year, the school had 3 students dropping out of school to get married, then by the 2023-2024 school year there will only be 1 case.

According to the report of the Vietnam Women's Union, after 4 years of implementing Project 8 "Achieving gender equality and solving urgent problems for women and children", women's unions at all levels have established and maintained 1,556/1,800 "Leaders of Change" clubs in schools.

Organizing club activities in the form of teams, playing games, cultural exchanges, arts, sports suitable for the age group or sketches based on the children's own lives, is an effective way to propagate content about gender equality or urgent issues such as domestic violence, school violence, children's rights, early marriage, etc.

According to Ms. Ton Ngoc Hanh, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union, the implementation of the "Leaders of Change" Club model in schools and communities is very suitable for reality, creating a new way of working in schools and communities in the field of gender equality.

Bac Giang: Launching the 'Leaders of Change' Club for Ethnic Minority Students

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nang-cao-nhan-thuc-ve-tao-hon-va-hon-nhan-can-huyet-tu-mo-hinh-thu-linh-cua-su-thay-doi-1719806447769.htm