Population Control in Vietnam: Feminist Win or Human Rights Violation?

With Vietnam being the 14th most populous country in the world, population reduction tactics have been questionable regarding ethics and in the struggle to preserve women's rights throughout established population policies.

In Vietnam, population policies have been established since the 1960’s. A two-child policy has been present for the past 50 years, with discussion on officially removing the policy only being raised during the past few years. The Vietnamese government claimed that this policy encourages a higher quality of living since less children entails more financial comfort and less pressures. Vietnam’s pursuit in controlling population growth has been cited as one of the country’s social successes, as it was stated “Seven years after introducing a two child per family policy, Vietnam's population control programme has become one the most effective in the world” and “Vietnamese women had an average of 3.8 children—that compares with 2.3 children today.” (news.bbc.co.uk). Various types of birth control, including the pill and the IUD, have become increasingly available to Vietnamese women. According to reproductiverights.org, the contraceptive prevalence rate among married women aged 15-49 is 79%. The accessibility to birth control and clear decrease in fertility rate among women can be viewed as a step forward regarding reproductive health rights and women’s rights. However, as Chikako Takeshita noted in "The Global Politics of the IUD", “…such a technology is adaptable to both feminist and nonfeminist reproductive politics…” (Takeshita, 3).

Among the same set of statistics in reproductiverights.org, the method of sterilization as a birth control among Vietnamese women in a relationship is 6.3%. Looking further into this statistic, it is revealed that Vietnam has often been criticized for coercing women to enforce their two-child policy. Methods of coercion have historically included forced sterilizations and abortions, a withholding of governmental financial aid for education and healthcare for children born after a second child, confiscating land, and fines. Vietnamnews.vn interviewed a woman named Lan who had pursued giving birth to a third child despite her knowledge of the two-child policy. After Lan gave birth, she “…lost her monthly bonus and had her salary capped for two years” and she stated that “…I’m happy to have my son, but I’m sad because my department, including my boss, has been fined due to my ‘fault’.” (Vietnamnews.vn). In this instance, despite the wishes of Lan, the two-child policy served to hinder her goals and financial status rather than aid her in living a more comfortable lifestyle. It has also threatened her career and livelihood due to the severe punishment affecting not only her, but others at her workplace. Recent discussions on bringing back coercive methods that had been abandoned in 2003 are argued as justified due to “…continuing poverty in rural areas associated with families with more than two children.” (worldwatch.org).

It is evident that the Vietnamese government views population control as necessary to furthering the country’s citizens’ socioeconomic statuses, regardless of the violation of women's rights. However, foreign powers have also taken interest in issues of population within Vietnam. Controversially, international organizations have been a part of or supported the coercive methods that have been utilized by the Vietnamese government. The UNFPA (The United Nations Population Fund) has been involved in these efforts. For example, “In Quang Nam county, another UNFPA county program, entire villages in remote mountain areas inhabited by minorities have been forcibly sterilized.” (pop.org). Despite knowledge of these coercive efforts, “The UNFPA presented its ‘United Nations Population Award’ to Vietnam's National Committee for Population and Family Planning in 1999.”, indicating that the UNFPA valued clear results of a decrease in fertility over the human rights of women. (pop.org). The UNFPA could be viewed as part of “…a network of public and private agencies that constituted a novel form of global governance.” (Takeshita, 23). The use of U.S. money in aiding these violations begs the question: What is our stake in aiding in population control in the global south?” Takeshita noted that “The pursuit of health, economic productivity, and happiness operates as the rationale behind technological interventions in the body at both population and individual levels. As global capitalism expands, technologically managed bodies serve not only national interests, but markets beyond the national borders.” (Takeshita, 24). Rather than being primarily interested in improving reproductive rights and general quality of life in the global south, it is evident that influential actors in the U.S. and the government have historically been interested in controlling populations for personal economic gain with a neo-Malthusian perspective.

As the discussion to end the two-child policy in Vietnam continues, the Vietnamese government and foreign powers must address the injustice that is coercive population control. As family planning officials in Vietnam have noted, coercive methods are not even a big factor in reducing population growth. Rather, more attention has been paid to educational programs that influence behaviors and attitudes as an important factor. As Tran Tien Duc, the information director of the National Committee for Population and Family Planning stated, "We have focused on information and education so people can persuade themselves that having a smaller family will bring benefits to them." (news.bbc.co.uk). Perhaps in the future, these programs can be used to lessen the devaluation of women, as giving birth to a son is more desired than giving birth to a girl. Due to this devaluation, Vietnamese women often continue giving birth until they give birth to a son, or have abortions to prevent having a daughter. In the possibility of ridding the two-child policy and coercive population control tactics permanently, these educational programs and availability of birth control can help reduce the population without aggressive and coercive tactics. Foreign powers and the U.S. should also control the dispersing of their funds to prevent human rights injustices, rather than encourage it. However, this also entails a reflection on U.S. and other international powers’ motives for this aid to Vietnam and other areas in the global south. Without giving women the power over their body and their complete consent and willingness to use birth control, devoid of threats, Vietnamese women's rights are being compromised.