Launch of the video competition: “GIRLS DESERVE TO SHINE”

Hanoi, 10 August, 2020 – A video competition 'Girls deserve to shine' was launched this morning in Ha Noi to raise awareness on harmful practices of son preference and gender biased sex selection in Viet Nam. The competition is implemented by the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences of Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) in collaboration with TikTok, with support of the Norwegian Government and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Viet Nam.

Gender-biased sex selection as a harmful practice remains persistent in society. It has been identified as the major cause of an imbalance in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in Viet Nam. The skewed SRB in Viet Nam towards more boys has rapidly increased and reached 111.5 boys per 100 girls in 2019 as indicated in the 2019 Census on Population and Housing, against the biologically “normal” SRB of 105-106 boys per 100 girls. The State of the World Population Report 2020 estimates that for Viet Nam alone, 40,800 female births are estimated to be missing every year, as shown in the unbalanced SRB. Evidence shows that this demographic imbalance is a result of prenatal sex selection based on son preference and low value of girls, which are deeply rooted in the traditional culture in Viet Nam.

In order to raise awareness among community people, especially young people on the issue of gender-based sex selection and to encourage their creative ideas and innovations in challenging these social issues, the competition ‘Girls deserve to shine’ is hosted on the Tiktok platform from 10 August 2020 to 23 August 2020. The competition calls for active participation from all Tiktok users by posting short video clips on this issue with the hashtag #GirlsDeserveToShine. The submitted video clips should convey positive messages about the important role of women and girls in society, challenge gender stereotypes against women and gender-based discrimination, promote good practices on respecting women and girls and share solutions to change the harmful practice of son preference and low value of girls in Viet Nam. The total prize of the competition is up to 34 million VND.

Time frame of the competition:

Competition launch: 8.00am, 10 August 2020
Entries submission: from 8.00 am 10 August 2020 to 11.59pm, 31 August 2020
Selection and grading: from 24 August 2020 to 4 September 2020
Announcement and awards ceremony: September 2020 (date and time will be announced soon)