Decision No. 498/QD-TTg dated April 14, 2015, approving the “reduction of child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas during 2015 – 2025” Scheme

DECISION

APPROVING THE “REDUCTION OF CHILD MARRIAGE AND CLOSE-KIN MARRIAGE IN ETHNIC MINORITY AREAS DURING 2015 – 2025” SCHEME

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 05/2011/ND-CP dated January 14, 2011 on ethnic minority affairs;

Pursuant to Decision No. 449/QD-TTg dated March 12, 2013 by the Prime Minister giving approval for the Strategy for ethnic minority affairs by 2020;

Pursuant to Decision No. 2356/QD-TTg dated December 04, 2013 by the Prime Minister promulgating the Action Program for implementing the Strategy for ethnic minority affairs by 2020;

At the request of Minister - Chairperson of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs;

DECIDES:

Article 1. Grant of approval for the “Reduction of child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas during 2015 – 2025” Scheme (hereinafter referred to as the “Scheme”) with the following main contents:

1. General objective:

Strike to prevent and reduce the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas by 2025 in order to enhance the quality of population and human resources in ethnic minority areas.  

2. Specific objectives:

- Increase legal consciousness and awareness, and change behaviors in marriage of ethnic minorities in order to reduce the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas. 

- Provide more than 90% of officials in charge of ethnic minority affairs at all levels and cultural - social officials with training and drilling courses to improve their qualifications and skills in mobilizing, giving advice and disseminating for change in attitudes and behaviors related to child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas in 2025.

- Reduce the number of child marriage couples and that of close-kin marriage couples in ethnic minority areas with high rates of child marriage and/or close-kin marriage by 2% - 3%/year and 3% - 5%/year respectively.  Strive to prevent and reduce the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas by 2025.

3. Scope of the Scheme

Ethnic minority areas, attaching special importance to the Northern Highlands, the North Central Coast – Central Coast, the Central Highlands ad the Mekong River Delta.

4. Tasks and solutions for implementing Scheme

a) Compile and provide communications documents and products; training documents for improving knowledge and skills in disseminating, mobilizing and giving advice about marriage and family in ethnic minority areas.  Change contents and diversify forms of propagation and mobilization for changing ethnic minorities’ behaviors relating to child marriage and close-kin marriage.

b) Organize meetings, seminars, talks, cultural exchanges or festivals with the aim of propagating the prevention and reduction of the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas.

c) Strengthen consulting and intervention activities, research, application and development of domestic and foreign models and/or lessons of experience in order to change behaviors, improve the access to information and mobilize the community participation in preventing and reducing the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas.

d) Improve professional capacity and skills of officials who are in charge of ethnic minority affairs and perform tasks of the Scheme.

dd) Promote the role of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Women’s Union, social-political organizations, village patriarchs, mountain village heads and/or prestigious people in ethnic minority areas in propagating and mobilizing people for eliminating obsolete customs and preventing the child marriage and close-kin marriage.  

e) Improve the international cooperation and mobilize aids and other legal financial sources for implementing the Scheme.

5. Funding for implementing the Scheme

a) Funds for implementing the Scheme shall be covered by the state budget in accordance with current regulations of the Law on state budget.

b) Aids and contributions by domestic and foreign organizations and individuals.

Article 2. Implementation organization

1. Central-level Ministries/regulatory bodies

a) Responsibility of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs

- Take charge and instruct the implementation of the “Reduction of child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas during 2015 – 2025” Scheme.

- Monitor, consolidate, and make preliminary and final reports on the implementation of the Scheme; submit regular reports to the Prime Minister on the implementation of the Scheme as regulated.

b) Ministry of Finance shall balance and allocate annual funds to implement the Scheme in accordance with regulations of the Law on state budget.

c) Ministry of Health shall put contents about medical consultation and intervention into approved programs/projects with the aim of reducing the rates of child marriage and close-kin marriage and fulfilling the Scheme’s objectives.

d) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall take charge and cooperate with the Committee for Ethnic Affairs in applying regulations on prevention of child marriage and close-kin marriage to cultural institutions, and formulating regulations, conventions and/or standards for recognition of “Bản làng văn hóa (cultured village)” or “Gia đình văn hóa (cultured family)” titles in ethnic minority areas with the purpose of fulfilling objectives of the Scheme.

dd) Ministry of Information and Communications shall take charge and cooperate with the Committee for Ethnic Affairs in instructing press agencies to promote the propagation and education for change in attitudes and behaviors relating to the child marriage and close-kin marriage in ethnic minority areas with the purpose of fulfilling objectives of the Scheme.

e) Relevant ministries/regulatory bodies shall, within the ambit of their assigned functions and duties, cooperate in implementing the Scheme and put relevant contents to their operation with the aim of effectively fulfilling the Scheme's objectives.

g) The Central Committees of Vietnamese Fatherland Front, Vietnam Women’s Union, the Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh City, and social-political organizations are requested to cooperate, within the ambit of their assigned functions and duties, with competent state authorities to put relevant contents of the Scheme into their programs/plans.

2. People’s Committees of provinces or central-affiliated cities shall instruct provincial-level agencies for ethnic affairs and relevant agencies to formulate annual and long-term plans and allocation of funds for implementing the Scheme in conformity with the reality and specific conditions of each province or city; submit annual reports to the Committee for Ethnic Affairs and relevant Ministries/regulatory bodies on the implementation of the Scheme as regulated.

Article 3. This Decision shall take effect as from the date on which it is signed.

Article 4. Ministers, Heads of Ministerial-level agencies, Heads of the Government's affiliates and Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces or central-affiliated cities shall implement this Decision./.