Raising awareness to reduce early marriage and incestuous marriage

Implementing Sub-project 2 "Reducing child marriage and consanguineous marriage in ethnic minority and mountainous areas" under Project 9 of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2025 period (Program 1719), Dak Lak province has been making efforts to raise awareness and change behavior on child marriage and consanguineous marriage in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

With 99% of members being ethnic minorities, living in extremely difficult areas, most of them have limited legal knowledge, domestic violence and early marriage still exist, so the Women's Association of Cu Ana San village, Ea Knop commune was chosen as the location to establish a community communication team. After being trained in knowledge, communication skills, and methods of operation, the members of the team have communicated the law on gender equality, marriage and family, traffic safety, etc. to the members. Thereby, the women grasp their rights in the family, are more proactive in social activities, encourage their children not to violate the law, and reduce the situation of early marriage.

A meeting of the Community Communications Team of Cu Ana San village, Ea Knop commune.

Ms. Ban Thi Tuyet (Dao ethnic group), Head of the Women's Association of Cu Ana San village, said that in addition to propaganda work in residential areas, the village community communication team has actively participated in competitions and festivals to convey messages and content related to the Law on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence, the Law on Gender Equality, and ways to handle everyday situations through dramatization, etc., contributing to raising awareness of gender equality, eliminating gender stereotypes and preventing and combating domestic violence.

Along with the establishment of community media teams, in ethnic minority areas in the province, local Party committees, authorities and organizations focus on promoting the role of village elders, village and hamlet chiefs, and prestigious people in propaganda and mobilization work.

For example, in Dur 1 village, Dur Kmal commune, as a village elder and a prestigious person, Mr. Y Dhun Hmok skillfully applied customary laws and equipped legal knowledge to propagate, mobilize and persuade people. In community activities, meetings or holidays, elder Y Dhun integrated propaganda and popularization of the Law on Marriage and Family, gender equality, analyzed the consequences of early marriage, incestuous marriage, and encouraged families not to let their children drop out of school early. Elder Y Dhun also regularly reminded youth union members and students not to drop out of school, not to get married early, and not to marry someone from the same family. Thanks to that, people in the village have raised awareness, and incestuous marriage no longer exists in the village.

Along with communication work, all levels, sectors and localities in the province focus on thoroughly grasping and implementing propaganda activities associated with the movement of "building a civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals and festivals", gradually eliminating backward customs and superstitions in ethnic minority communities. Thanks to that, people's understanding and awareness of law compliance are increasingly improved, contributing to building a progressive, civilized and equal living environment.

According to the assessment of the Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, Le Ngoc Vinh, the propaganda and mobilization work to reduce the situation of early marriage and incestuous marriage in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the province has been paid attention to and implemented by the Party Committee and authorities from the province to the grassroots level and has achieved certain results. The awareness of ethnic minorities about early marriage and incestuous marriage has been significantly raised, and some customs and practices related to early marriage and incestuous marriage have been gradually eliminated...

Implementing Sub-project 2, Project 9, Program 1719, from 2021 to present, the whole province has organized 51 training conferences on communication skills, advocacy, propaganda, dissemination, and legal education on marriage and family, prevention of child marriage and consanguineous marriage; compiled and printed 67,000 propaganda leaflets; established and launched 6 core community communication group models to prevent child marriage and consanguineous marriage; organized 3 contests to learn about legal knowledge on marriage and family, prevention of child marriage and consanguineous marriage...

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202510/nang-cao-nhan-thuc-de-giam-thieu-tao-hon-hon-nhan-can-huyet-thong-47115aa/