VietNamNet Bridge – The gender imbalance in Ha Noi in the first six months this year was still too high, with 116 boys being born for every 100 girls, according to the Ha Noi Department of Population and Family Planning.

The gender imbalance in Ha Noi in the first six months this year was still too high, with 116 boys being born for every 100 girls, according to the Ha Noi Department of Population and Family Planning.— Photo giaoduc

The imbalance in the city has been increasing rapidly since 2006, said a national report.

It is often seen in suburban districts including Dong Anh, Thuong Tin, My Duc and Ha Dong.

The main reason for this is that the residents in these districts generally prefer boys to girls, said Ta Quang Huy, director of the Ha Noi Department of Population and Family Planning.

The city encourages couples to have one or two children at the most, whereas many couples are often pressured by family members to produce a son, so they use scans to find out the sex of a foetus first, he said.

"Another reason is that social welfare policies are not comprehensive enough. Many people still think that only sons are responsible for taking care of their parents when they get old, so they try to have a son," said Huy.

Modern medical technology also helps couples to choose a male foetus.

During the past three years, the department has conducted a number of campaigns to reduce gender imbalance at birth, however, the campaign's effectiveness was not adequate due to the leaders of some authorities being unaware of the consequences, said Huy.

However, the inspections of centres that produce illegal ultrasounds so people can choose the sex of their child have met with a lot of difficulties.

In the near future, the city will hold a series of talks to explain the consequences of gender imbalance at birth, in 15 districts that have a high rate of imbalance, and is calling for 5,000 to take part.

The talks will be held with the co-operation of the Farmers Association, the Women's Association and the Population and Family Planning Association.

The department will also work with the Ha Noi Centre of Culture, to organise a contest for the writers of new short plays that concern population issues and family planning.

The department will also liaise closely with different newspapers and Ha Noi Television to broadcast the plays and other reports on the issue.

A total of 100,000 leaflets will be delivered around districts that have a high rate of gender imbalance at birth, said Huy.

Source: VNS