Protecting children "early and from afar"

The province is striving to provide the best possible care and create all the necessary conditions for children's comprehensive development. This information was emphasized at a working session between the Central inter-agency inspection team on the implementation of children's rights and the prevention and control of violence and abuse against children and the Provincial People's Committee regarding the implementation of tasks related to children.

The province is striving to provide the best possible care and create all the necessary conditions for children's comprehensive development. This information was emphasized at a working session between the Central inter-agency inspection team on the implementation of children's rights and the prevention and control of violence and abuse against children and the Provincial People's Committee regarding the implementation of tasks related to children.

Through this training session, children are equipped with life skills and the ability to protect themselves from the risk of abuse and violence.

A concerted effort and significant investment of resources.

According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Health , Lam Nhu Quynh, the province currently has 614,801 children under 16 years old, accounting for 14.44% of the population; of which 8,144 children are in special circumstances and 30,105 children are at risk of falling into special circumstances. Over the past period, the province has implemented comprehensive child protection programs. The province has opened 549 swimming classes for over 16,900 children; mobilized support for over 3,850 children in special and difficult circumstances; and maintained care for 60 orphans at 19 social assistance facilities... The child protection system is effectively maintained, with the 111 hotline connecting seamlessly across three levels to ensure timely intervention for children who are victims of violence or abuse.

Faced with the reality of many parents having to work far from home, localities have proactively implemented innovative self-governance models. A prime example is Cang Long commune, with over 8,700 children. The "When Mom Is Away" club, implemented by the Women's Union of the commune, has proven effective in supporting children whose parents work away from home. "Periodically, once every quarter, the club organizes group activities to equip children with knowledge about sex education , life skills, and awareness of the risks of abuse. Children are guided in doing household chores to help their grandparents, protecting the environment, and participating in traffic safely. The activities also incorporate quick-answer games with prizes and encouraging gifts, helping children enthusiastically absorb knowledge to proactively protect themselves," said Ms. Le Thi Kha Ly, President of the Women's Union of Cang Long commune.

Despite achieving many positive results, the leaders of the Department of Health frankly acknowledge that child protection work in the locality is facing many complex issues due to the impact of technology and socio-economic pressures. Notably, in 2025 and the first four months of 2026, functional agencies prosecuted 102 cases of child sexual abuse involving 95 defendants. These cases mainly involved acquaintances, relatives, or individuals exploiting children's lack of understanding and family negligence to commit violations. All cases of child abuse received psychological counseling, intervention, and support as prescribed. The province provided support to 30 cases of child abuse with a total budget of 225 million VND. Efforts to strengthen propaganda and training on preventing child abuse were also intensified.

"Besides that, the number of students suffering from depression and anxiety disorders due to increased academic pressure is rising; the use of e-cigarettes and stimulants sold on social media is becoming increasingly complex; and the number of children living with grandparents or stepparents is increasing, posing a potential risk of violence and abuse due to a lack of adequate care and supervision," said Ms. Lam Nhu Quynh.

Establishing a proactive and comprehensive preventive "shield".

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Thi Be Muoi, affirmed that the province will continue to pay attention to directing departments, agencies, and localities to better implement the work of caring for, educating, and protecting children. Focus on implementing tasks and requirements according to regulations on the realization of children's rights; continue to improve the effectiveness of inter-sectoral coordination in the work of realizing children's rights and protecting children; research, guide, and allocate resources to support communes and wards in effectively carrying out this task; and strengthen social mobilization and attract resources to participate in child protection.

The province is stepping up communication efforts by categorizing target groups to ensure appropriateness and effectiveness, and strengthening life skills and self-protection education for children in schools. The province identifies early and proactive prevention as a crucial solution to prevent the risk of child abuse, aiming to provide the best care and create conditions for children's comprehensive development. "The locality will strengthen inter-agency coordination, proactively prevent, promptly detect, and handle incidents related to children, ensuring that all children live in a safe, healthy environment and develop comprehensively," the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Mothers and Children (Ministry of Health) - Nguyen Thi Nga - highly appreciated the province's attention in allocating resources, strengthening direction, and implementing activities to care for and protect children in the past. She suggested that the province continue to strengthen the dissemination of knowledge and skills to prevent and protect children from abuse within families to schools and the community. Emphasis should be placed on preventing child abuse, clearly analyzing the causes and risks leading to child abuse, especially cases occurring within the family or caused by relatives. Attention should also be paid to children's mental health, especially abandoned or neglected children, or those in special circumstances. The province needs to improve the effectiveness of child drowning prevention, mobilizing the participation of all levels, sectors, and society in equipping children with swimming skills, water safety skills, and rescue skills to minimize unfortunate incidents.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga emphasized that, in order for the implementation of children's rights and the prevention of child abuse to achieve sustainable effectiveness, Vinh Long needs to issue mechanisms and policies to comprehensively implement child-related work. Attention should be paid to replicating effective models, mobilizing the participation of all levels, sectors, organizations, and the entire society, focusing on preventing abuse, and strengthening child protection from the family to the community.

Text and photos: THUY QUYEN

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/xa-hoi/202605/bao-ve-tre-em-tu-som-tu-xa-153389a/