UNFPA Vietnam calls for ending child marriage on Valentine Day
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam has called upon the community to take immediate actions to end child marriage on the occasion of Valentine Day (February 14).
Providing locals with information on child marriage. (Source: nhandan.com)
Hanoi (VNA) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam has called upon the community to take immediate actions to end child marriage on the occasion of Valentine Day (February 14).
According to the UNFPA, to end child marriage, many changes are needed, including strengthening and enforcing laws against the practice, promoting gender equality and ensuring the community’s commitment to the rights of girls.
However, young people must also be empowered to understand and claim their rights. This means they must be provided with accurate sexual and reproductive health information, educational and skills development opportunities, as well as platforms for participation and engagement in community and civic life.
According to the Survey measuring Vietnam Sustainable Development Goal indicators on Children and Women (SDGCW) 2020-2021, co-launched by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UNFPA in Vietnam, among women and men aged 20-24 surveyed, 14.6 percent of women and 1.9 percent of men were first married or in union before the age 18.
Rural women and men are much more likely to marry before age 15 and 18 than their urban peers. Marriage before age 18 among women aged 20-49 is negatively correlated with their education level and their household wealth quintile. Women who have lower education and come from poorer households are more likely to marry before their 18th birthday.
The incidence of early marriage was falling, per findings of a survey conducted by the EMPoWR project on 1,725 ethnic minority children across 17 communes of six districts in Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Quang Binh and Quang Tri in late 2020. However, only 28 percent of the respondents said they had been provided with knowledge on child marriage.
The survey indicated that 52 percent had a correct understanding of the legal minimum age for marriage. Many respondents misunderstood the age at which men are allowed to get married, while it was more common among the surveyed girls to feel the pressure of getting married to avoid becoming a “leftover” woman.
The “Enhancing awareness of ethnic minority children and young people on human trafficking and child marriage through digital technology” (EMPoWR) project is co-funded by the Delegation of the European Union and Plan International in Belgium./.
Girls’ safety in public areas and child marriage problems were the main topics at a dialogue on October 7 between girl representatives and leaders of a number of National Assembly (NA) committees, ministries, sectors and central organisations.
Some 70 experts on gender equality and delegates from ethnic committees of 15 provinces and cities across the country attended a workshop on October 15 to review the first five years of a project on reducing child marriage and inter-marriage in ethnic minority areas during 2015-2025.
A platform, designed to support children and young people from ethnic minorities, was launched with an aim to helping the targeted group prevent child marriage and human trafficking in a proactive manner during a webinar on September 28.
With diverse specific actions taken, Vietnam has gained remarkable achievements in promoting gender equality and ensuring the rights of ethnic minority women.
In the context where AI dominates and produces vast volumes of content, the only sustainable path forward for journalism is to focus on high-quality content and core values. Journalism must redefine its mission - not to report the fastest, but to provide the most profound and trustworthy value.
Granma and the VNA have great potential for cooperation, especially in sharing content regularly, so that VNA products are published on Granma platforms and vice versa, thereby helping Cuban and Vietnamese people access true information and gain a deep understanding of each other's country and people.
During his stay in China’s Guangzhou city from 1924 to 1927 to prepare for the establishment of a Communist Party to lead Vietnam’s revolution, President Ho Chi Minh founded “Thanh nien” newspaper and released its first issue on June 21, 1925.
Vietnam and Cambodia are hoped to strengthen their robust collaboration across various sectors, particularly in resolving remaining border issues to transform the border area into a zone of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.
The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
Since President Ho Chi Minh founded Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has become the voice of the people. During the resistance war against the colonialists, journalists took great personal risks to inspire patriotism and the will of rising up against foreign invaders.
The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is intensifying efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as part of the country’s goal of having the European Commission’s “yellow card” warning lifted.
Throughout its 80-year history, the VNA has remained at the forefront of information dissemination. It has consistently delivered timely, accurate, and objective reports on both domestic and international events, serving the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, and the public’s demand for official news.
With strong support from local authorities, businesses, organisations, and residents, the province has successfully built or repaired 10,707 homes for disadvantaged households, including war veterans, families of martyrs, ethnic minority people, and low-income residents.
Throughout its resistance against colonialists and imperialists, Vietnam developed a revolutionary press that has served as a benchmark for just and legitimate causes worldwide.
Founded in 1842, the Vienna Philharmonic is regarded as a cultural ambassador of Austria, with prestigious conductors like Mahler and Karajan who shape its legacy. Its New Year’s Concert, broadcast to over 90 countries annually, stands as a global symbol of classical music excellence.
PM Chinh lauded the press’s historic role in the nation’s fight for independence and its ongoing process of national development, affirming that the Government always highly appreciates the close partnership and steadfast support of press agencies and journalists nationwide.
In recent decades, Vietnam’s mainstream media has become a reliable and persuasive channel for showcasing the nation’s development policies and achievements, especially in economic matters, according to a senior assistant editor at the Times of India.
A hub for sharing best practices, the event aims to forge solutions for financial sustainability, public media contracts, audience engagement, content innovation, and newsroom restructuring. It is also a moment for Vietnam’s media to accelerate its progress and figure out what the “revolutionary press” means in a new era.
From “Thanh nien”, Vietnam’s first revolutionary newspaper founded by Nguyen Ai Quoc (later President Ho Chi Minh) on June 21, 1925, the revolutionary press has remained devoted to its sacred missions -accompanying the nation, serving the Fatherland, and working for the people.
The official launch of Emirates’ Dubai–Da Nang route on June 2 has sparked a “tourism revolution” for Vietnam’s central coastal city. Da Nang is emerging as a top destination for high-end travelers, particularly from the lucrative Middle Eastern market.
Bernama CEO Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin said VNA has been a consistent and reliable partner in OANA, contributing actively to the regional media landscape through content sharing, coordination, and policy discussions. Their coverage of ASEAN and Indochina issues adds valuable perspectives. Bernama appreciates the collaboration with VNA.
In this era of global integration and digitalisation, the press must adopt modern multimedia models to not only meet increasing information and communication demands but also align with the broader socio-economic development of the country.
Providing locals with information on child marriage. (Source: nhandan.com) 
