For children to have a useful and safe summer

Recently, public opinion has been heartbroken when many children in provinces and cities have tragically died due to accidents. Just counting drowning alone, on May 1, 2025, while swimming in the sea at Tan Dinh, Thang Loi commune, Mo Duc district, Quang Ngai province, 4 children unfortunately drowned and died; on May 10, 2025, 4 children in Cu Dlie Mnong commune, Cu M'gar district, Dak Lak province, invited each other to play at a reservoir near their house and unfortunately drowned, causing 2 children to die...

In Quang Tri , on March 27, 2025, two students in Vinh Ha commune, Vinh Linh district, went swimming in the Sa Lung river and unfortunately drowned. The day before, a 4th grade student also died from drowning while playing at the saltwater dam in Ward 1, Ward 3, Dong Ha city. On May 21, a male student in Hai Lang district drowned while swimming in the K9 canal area, near the K7 regulating sluice, in Quang Tri town...

In Vietnam, drowning is the leading cause of death in children aged 1-4 years and the third leading cause of death from unintentional injuries in children and adolescents aged 5-19. Nearly 2,000 children under 16 years die from drowning each year.

Statistics from the authorities show that from 2015 to 2024, in Quang Tri, drowning accidents have claimed the lives of about 130 children. Child drowning incidents mainly occur during the summer months. Notably, deaths due to drowning in children account for about 50% of deaths due to accidents and injuries. This is truly a very heartbreaking and worrying number for families and society.

Quang Tri province currently has about 183,000 children (accounting for 29% of the population, of which about 34,000 children live in ethnic minority and mountainous areas). As summer approaches, many parents have plans for their children to play, experience or participate in art and fine arts classes, sports clubs, life skills classes... to help develop comprehensively in terms of intelligence, aesthetic thinking and physical strength, avoiding dependence on technological devices.

However, not all families have the conditions to let their children participate in the above activities, especially children in rural and mountainous areas. In fact, in recent times, due to lack of supervision and management from the family, lack of safe places for entertainment, children have sought out places of entertainment that pose many risks and dangers, affecting their health and lives, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, streams... The consequence is that every summer, children die from drowning and accidents.

The main causes of drowning in children are that they do not know how to swim and are not fully equipped with safety skills in the water environment; children lack parental supervision; living environments have many potential risks of drowning...

In order for children to have a beneficial and safe summer, educational institutions need to strengthen coordination with families and society in educating and managing students; send teachers to participate in coordination activities, manage and evaluate students' summer activities to ensure effective, practical and safe summer activities.

Parents, along with taking good care of, managing and educating their children; equipping children with knowledge and skills to prevent drowning, electric shock, burns, etc., need to guide children to participate in collective activities and healthy entertainment, contributing to helping them develop and form their physical, intellectual and personality comprehensively.

Local authorities, organizations and unions strengthen management, reception and handover of students to summer activities and organize exciting, attractive and diverse educational, sports, healthy entertainment and recreation activities, and organize swimming classes suitable to the actual conditions in residential areas so that all children have the opportunity to be protected, cared for and educated comprehensively.

Localities regularly urge, inspect and supervise the implementation of accident and drowning prevention work at schools, educational institutions and units under their management and take strict measures against organizations and individuals who do not seriously implement this work. For dangerous areas such as ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and construction sites, it is necessary to strengthen inspection, review and timely detect dangers to install warning signs, build barriers, string ropes... to advise against approaching.

Sectors and localities need to continue to synchronously deploy solutions. Focus on promoting information, propaganda, education, and social mobilization to raise awareness, knowledge, and skills on child drowning prevention for children, families, schools, and communities. Build and improve the capacity of teams working on child injury and drowning prevention.

Improve the effectiveness of coordination between sectors and organizations in the management and organization of swimming teaching activities and prevention of drowning accidents for children. Encourage the socialization of drowning prevention activities for students at schools and localities. Complete and develop a service network to ensure safety for children in the aquatic environment.

Huy Nam

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/de-tre-em-co-nhung-ngay-he-bo-ich-an-toan-194008.htm