Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc: Vietnam takes strong action to better protect children in the online environment

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc speaks at the seminar.

On November 26, at the Special Discussion held on the sidelines of the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc said that the online environment opens up great opportunities for children to learn, connect and be creative. However, along with that, there are many risks: abuse, online bullying, fraud, personal information leakage, or access to harmful content - things that can seriously affect the physical, mental and development of children.

Faced with that situation, in recent years, Vietnam has taken strong steps to better protect children in cyberspace.

Accordingly, the legal system has been increasingly improved with many important laws such as the Law on Children, the Law on Cyber Security, the Law on Network Information Security, and the Law on Personal Data Protection. The Government and the Prime Minister have also issued three Decrees, one Decision, and one Inter-sectoral Coordination Regulation on child protection in the online environment; approved the National Action Program for Children for the period 2021-2030; the Program "Protecting and supporting children to interact healthily and creatively in the online environment for the period 2021-2025"... with the goal of concretizing international documents and ASEAN Declarations.

Vietnam places particular importance on communication, education and digital literacy as an important pillar in child protection.

"We believe that technology is only truly safe when people have enough knowledge and skills to use it proactively, creatively and responsibly. Therefore, communication and training programs have been widely deployed for officials, teachers, parents and children themselves, helping them identify risks, behave civilly, and know how to protect themselves online.

Campaigns such as “Not alone – together online safety”, “digital vaccine”, or the contest “Students with information security” not only provide knowledge, but also inspire a culture of humane, respectful and tolerant use of the Internet, contributing to the formation of a healthy online environment – where children are protected, listened to and developed comprehensively”, said Deputy Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc.

Currently, Vietnam has established a "Child Protection and Response Network on the Internet", a "Child Protection Club on the Internet", and integrated information channels connected to the National Child Protection Hotline 111 to receive and handle related cases.

Agencies and organizations strengthen inter-sectoral coordination in preventing, investigating, and handling acts of violence and child abuse, while taking advantage of cyberspace to spread awareness and safe digital skills through communication campaigns, workshops, creative competitions, and guidance documents for parents, communities, and children.

Authorities, especially specialized units on cyber security, have deployed many technical and professional measures to detect, prevent, and strictly handle acts that harm children in cyberspace.

Enterprises providing telecommunications, Internet and social networking services are also required to enhance their social responsibility, proactively control content, prevent access to harmful information, and contribute to building a safe and healthy online environment for children.

According to the Deputy Minister, Vietnam always considers international cooperation as a key factor in protecting children in the online environment. Vietnam regularly coordinates with law enforcement agencies and international organizations, especially within the framework of INTERPOL, to train and improve the capacity of specialized forces, and share experiences, information and technology.

Vietnam also proactively promotes bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and agreements with many countries, while maintaining effective cooperation with international organizations operating in Vietnam in the field of child protection, contributing to strengthening common efforts for a globally safe cyber environment.

However, in addition to many positive results, we still face many difficulties and challenges in protecting women and children in the online environment. Cybercrime is increasingly sophisticated, while the technical capacity and coordination of response agencies are limited. The awareness and digital skills of a part of the population and children are not adequate.

Sharing information and coordinating handling between countries still faces difficulties due to differences in laws and technology. In addition, resources for this work are still limited compared to actual requirements, requiring continued cooperation, investment and innovation in methods to protect women and children in cyberspace.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that, in the spirit of cooperation, responsibility and international solidarity, Vietnam commits to continue to participate proactively and responsibly in global cooperation initiatives and mechanisms on protecting women and children in the cyber environment.

"We hope that countries, international organizations and digital platforms will increase the exchange of experience in building policies and laws, promoting social responsibility of technology enterprises, and expanding international cooperation mechanisms, agreements and initiatives to effectively respond to transnational cybercrime.

Vietnam is also ready to coordinate training, capacity building, transfer and application of new technology, contributing to better protection of women and children in the digital age," said the Deputy Minister.

He also expressed that, with the joint efforts and strong commitment of all of us, the world will build a safe, humane and inclusive cyberspace, where every woman and child is respected, protected and empowered to realize their full potential.

MANH TRAN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thu-truong-y-te-nguyen-tri-thuc-viet-nam-vao-cuoc-manh-me-bao-ve-tre-em-tot-hon-tren-moi-truong-mang-post918143.html