Unwanted girls: the Vietnam fetus cemetery
Nguyen Thi Nhiem squats in front of their graves and lights incense sticks. The resting places are decorated with plastic sunflowers and wild plants that have withered under the warm Vietnamese sun. But this is no normal cemetery: only tiny creatures that have never lived on earth are buried here - in the village of Ben Coc north of Hanoi - in small, rectangular clay pots. And there are many of them in Vietnam. A lot of them.
According to UN statistics, the country has had one of the highest abortion rates in the world for years. To give the fetuses a dignified burial place after an abortion, Nguyen Thi Nhiem bought land near a paddy field 16 years ago and turned it into a cemetery for unborn life. Here she prays for the souls of unwanted children.
Today, the burial ground covers around 1800 square meters, where more than 240,000 fetuses are buried in mass graves. 80 percent were between one and three months old, but many were older. "Every day I receive 15 to 20 fetuses, some of which are brought to the cemetery by volunteer students. Others are collected by my husband from nearby hospitals and clinics," the 64-year-old told dpa.
Male offspring wanted
According to UN estimates from 2022, at least 300,000 abortions are carried out in the country on the Mekong every year. However, the number of unreported cases is high. The National Association for Family Planning (VINAFPA) speaks of 1.2 to 1.6 million abortions per year in a country with a population of around 98 million. By comparison, 104,000 cases were reported in Germany last year.
The special feature: in Vietnam, abortions are often gender-specific. This is because most couples want to have sons. The preference for male offspring is culturally deeply rooted. The main reason for this is the persistent influence of Confucianism, according to which women are regarded as subordinate. Sons are considered the main breadwinners, expected to manage family wealth and care for their ageing parents."Although sex-selective abortions are illegal in Vietnam, many couples find ways to ensure they have sons - contributing to the country's highest abortion rate in the entire region," says Khuat Thu Hong, director of the Hanoi-based Institute for Social Development Studies. Many women are forced to become pregnant several times in order to give birth to a boy. Others have to have several abortions to achieve this goal.
This is also evident at the fetus cemetery. "Out of 100 fetuses buried here, 90 are female and only 10 are male," reports Nhiem. "This is obviously a consequence of gender selection."
Space in the fetus cemetery is running out
Vietnam's population office estimates that there will be 1.5 million more men than women in the country by 2034 if the gender imbalance remains as high as it is. By 2050, the figure would already be 4.3 million. "Vietnam will face the same problems as China because men will have difficulties finding partners," says expert Hong. The frequent consequence: prostitution and trafficking in women.
In the past, when she was younger, Nhiem laid embryos and fetuses to rest almost every day. She now has two large freezers in which she keeps the tiny packages for a few days before carrying out the burials once a week. Years ago, she purchased additional land as there was no longer enough space. "Sooner or later, the cemetery will be overcrowded again," she says sadly.
Abortions are permitted in Vietnam - if they are not sex-selective - up to the 22nd week. Nevertheless, there are also a large number of unsafe abortions that are not carried out by experts and pose great risks to women.
New sexual permissiveness
According to the Ministry of Health, one reason for the extremely high number of unwanted pregnancies is a lack of knowledge about contraceptive methods - but also a social shift towards greater sexual permissiveness. In fact, 60 to 70 percent of young women who have abortions are still in their teens.
"Young people today are increasingly open-minded about love and sex," explains Hong. "Many are willing to have sexual intercourse and accept an abortion in the event of an unintended pregnancy." But married couples are also increasingly opting for an abortion because children are associated with high costs. There is now a trend towards nuclear families.
Meanwhile, Nhiem continues to bury fetuses. "I'm slowly getting old. If I had one wish, it would be that the number of abortions decreases and that not so many fetuses are deprived of their right to life," she says. Her cemetery should be a symbol and a reminder to young people to take responsibility for unborn children.
Despite the illegal practice of sex-selective abortions in Vietnam, the preference for male offspring persists, leading to a disproportionate number of female fetuses at the Health conscious Nguyen Thi Nhiem's fetus cemetery. Of the 100 fetuses buried, only 10 are male.
The increasing demand for space at the fetus cemetery raises concerns about Vietnam's future demographic balance. As expert Hong predicts, the country may face the same challenges as China, with an imbalance of 1.5 million more men than women by 2034.
Source: www.dpa.com
