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| Village officials in Hop Thanh commune, Lao Cai city, disseminate information to local residents about harmful impacts of consanguineous marriage__Photo: Quoc Khanh/VNA |
A total of 56 child marriage cases and 444 cases of females giving birth under the age of 18 were recorded across Lao Cai province in the first nine months of 2026, according to the provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs.
Among the recorded early marriages, 14 involved under-age wives, eight involved under-age husbands and 34 involved couples where both parties were below the legal marital age. No consanguineous marriages were reported during the period. Child marriages were heavily concentrated in Ta Van commune with 23 cases, Si Ma Cai commune nine cases, and Khao Mang and Phong Du Thuong communes with six cases each, accounting for nearly 79 per cent of the province’s total.
In response to this situation, the province is stepping up its preventive efforts by enforcing the Provincial Party Committee’s Resolution 09-NQ/TU dated October 25, 2025, for the 2025-30 period, focusing on strengthening the prevention of early marriage and childbearing among females aged under 18 years, mobilising local communities and authorities, mass organisations, families, and prestigious community figures in communications and advocacy.
The authorities are disseminating laws on marriage and family, monitoring teenagers at risk of early marriage and conducting direct village-level advocacy integrated with reproductive health education, keeping teenagers in school and equipping them with essential life skills.
Sa Pa ward recorded no new child or consanguineous marriages in the first nine months of 2026. However, the local authorities identified six cases at risk of early marriage - five in Sa Pa and one in Suoi Ho residential group - and successfully intervened through direct communications and family counseling.
In the first eight months of 2026, the ward recorded 13 cases of females under 18 giving birth, highlighting a pressing need to enhance reproductive health awareness and self-protection capabilities.
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| Promoting awareness to prevent child marriage, consanguineous marriage and teenage pregnancy in Che Tao commune__Photo: https://thuonghieucongluan.com.vn |
Prevention efforts in mountainous areas face obstacles such as vast geographical areas, long distances, and young people leaving to work far from home. To overcome these challenges, local authorities emphasise the role of village heads, prestigious community leaders, teachers and mass organisations in detecting early warning signs, such as school absenteeism, cohabitation among under-age youths, or families preparing for betrothals and weddings for their youths.
The provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs stressed an “early detection and early intervention” mechanism. combining legal dissemination with keeping students in schools, providing vocational training and creating job opportunities, thereby protecting the health, education and long-term development of mountainous ethnic youth.- (VLLF)
