Children are being repeatedly abused; don't wait until tragedy strikes.

The series of child abuse cases, both domestically and online, highlights significant gaps in current child protection, detection, and support programs.

A 2-year-old boy was abused. Photo: Nguyen Thuan .

A two-year-old boy in Hoa Hiep commune (Ho Chi Minh City) was hospitalized with multiple injuries after being abused by his stepfather and biological mother. Shortly after, public attention was drawn to the case of a 13-year-old boy in Di An ward (Ho Chi Minh City) who had been beaten by his stepfather for an extended period.

Notably, recent cases of child abuse have occurred within the family – an environment traditionally considered the safest for children.

According to information presented at the seminar "For the Safety of Vietnamese Children" organized by the Southern Region Television Center on May 15th, in less than the first five months of 2026, the country recorded at least 30 cases of child-related violence reported in the press. Of these, 12 cases involved domestic violence, and 18 cases involved school violence and cyber violence.

Violence is no longer confined to the family.

Discussing recent cases of child abuse, Ms. Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha, a National Assembly representative from Dong Nai City, noted that recent cases of child abuse are serious, prolonged, and complex. What is particularly heartbreaking is that the perpetrators are often parents or caregivers, causing severe physical and psychological harm to the children.

Experts at the seminar organized by the Southern Region Television Center. Photo: Organizing Committee .

According to Ms. Ha, child abuse within families is a consequence of many factors acting simultaneously. Economic pressure, work stress, and life pressures cause many parents to easily lose control of their emotions. Meanwhile, not all parents are equipped with parenting skills, leading to situations where small conflicts or clashes in daily life can become causes of harm to children.

She also argued that many recent incidents stem from disruptions in family life such as divorce, remarriage, or a lack of proper care and attention. In this context, children are easily left neglected, lacking emotional support, and become vulnerable to negative impacts from social issues and their surrounding environment.

From a psychological perspective, Dr. Le Thi Linh Trang argues that, through years of working with families and participating in child safety programs, she has found that child abuse cannot be explained solely by economic pressure or life difficulties. According to her, the core of the problem lies in the awareness, morality, and behavior of adults.

"We can offer many reasons to justify it, but parental abuse of children is cruel and inhumane," she said.

According to Ms. Trang, what is worrying is that these incidents are no longer just stories appearing on television or social media, but are happening in everyday life. She raised the issue of the need for more research on moral education , mental health, and human behavior to find the root causes of child abuse.

She also emphasized that children are the most vulnerable group in society, yet they are becoming targets of harm at the hands of those responsible for protecting them.

Beyond the family environment, many experts warn that children now face additional risks in cyberspace. According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department, many children turn to the internet to escape family pressure but continue to become victims of online abuse or bullying.

According to statistics cited by Mr. Son, from 2021 to the end of 2025, the police force received more than 10,000 cases of child abuse nationwide, including more than 1,800 cases involving the use of cyberspace to abuse children.

Mr. Son added that the current risk also stems from parents sharing too much of their children's personal information on social media. This data can be collected to facilitate fraudulent activities or to create fake images using AI to target parents.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Le Thi Linh Trang also believes that many parents are not fully aware of the risks of posting children's images on social media. According to her, many children have conflicts with their parents because their personal photos are posted without their consent, while negative comments online can cause long-lasting psychological trauma.

We can't just wait until tragedy strikes.

Besides the causes of child abuse in recent times, a common point mentioned by many experts is that cases are often only discovered when the consequences are already serious. This shows that the child protection system still has many gaps.

Ms. Nguyen Tran Phuong Ha believes the biggest challenge currently lies at the grassroots level. Many local officials are young and have to handle multiple tasks, resulting in a lack of in-depth expertise in child-related issues. Coordination between families, schools, and society is also weak, leading to prolonged instances of abnormal behavior without timely intervention.

Lawyer Nguyen Trung Tin points out the loopholes that make protecting children difficult. Photo: Thai An.

Meanwhile, lawyer Nguyen Trung Tin argues that current laws still tend to focus on dealing with the consequences after violence occurs, while mechanisms for prevention and early intervention remain weak.

According to him, the law has stipulated quite a lot, but in reality, there is still a large discrepancy between the written law and real life. Physical violence is frequently mentioned, but psychological abuse or cyberbullying lacks specific regulations and clear sanctions.

He also pointed out another barrier: children who have been harmed often don't know who to turn to for help. Although the 111 hotline has been operating for many years, the current approach is still not flexible enough.

"Just calling doesn't guarantee immediate solutions. Meanwhile, children today have very quick access to technology. Therefore, I believe we need more platforms and applications to support emergency assistance so that they can easily seek help," he suggested.

From a management perspective, Mr. Nguyen Tang Minh believes that pre-marital education and parenting skills should be promoted. According to him, many young families embark on the journey of raising children with almost no basic knowledge of child psychology, emotional control, or positive parenting methods.

"To reduce violence, we must start by helping parents understand how to raise their children," he said.

Simultaneously, experts argue that the media needs to play a stronger role in changing societal perceptions. Violence against children cannot continue to be seen as a "private matter," nor can it be justified by the saying "raising children to be good people."

Another solution emphasized is to enhance digital skills education for parents and children. In the age of AI and rapidly developing social media, the posting of children's personal information needs to be considered more carefully. Parents need to understand that every image and every piece of publicly available data can be exploited by malicious actors for the purpose of online fraud, abuse, or bullying.

At the seminar, many opinions also suggested building a multi-tiered child protection network, in which families, schools, authorities, and the community all participate in monitoring and early detection of abnormal signs. When a child frequently has injuries, shows signs of fear, withdraws, or experiences unusual psychological changes, the adults around them should view these as warning signs instead of ignoring them.

Source: https://znews.vn/tre-em-lien-tiep-bi-bao-hanh-dung-doi-den-khi-co-bi-kich-post1651793.html