To mark this year’s Month of Action for Children, Nguyen Trong An, head of the Children Department under the Committee for Population, Family and Children, elaborated on activities to be launched during the month in a recent interview granted to VOVNews.
VOVNews: Why did the committee select poor children as the major theme of this year’s Month of Action for Children?
Mr An: The fact is that many families still live below the poverty line given the country’s economic conditions, which directly affects children’s lives. Due to hunger and poverty, many children have to leave their hometowns to lead street lives in big cities, making them venerable to social vices such as overexploitation, prostitution, violence and drug addiction. Many have to earn a living by collecting different things from piles of rubbish such as nylon bags, used cans of beverage and bottles of wine, and are at great risk to themselves. Many in the central region such as Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces are wounded and killed while trying to take metallic shells out of unexploded explosives.
Poverty and hunger prevent children from enjoying their fundamental rights. Poor children do not have the chance to go to school, get full access to healthcare services and enjoy entertainment activities like their ordinary peers. That is why we selected “Poor children and our concerns” as the theme of this year’s Month of Action for Children.
VOVNews: Could you elaborate on major activities to be launched during the month?
Mr An: We have sent instructions to all localities with a special focus on poor children. We asked localities to develop welfare projects for poor children such as compassionate houses, classrooms and recreational places. Propaganda campaigns should be launched to mobilise all social resources to support poor children and create conditions for them to enjoy equal lives and get full access to basic social services such as health care, entertainment and study.
To gather widespread social support, the Month of Action will be launched in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Soc Trang, the Central Highland province of Kon Tum and the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. Other cities and provinces will also launch activities to support poor children in the hope that they will enjoy all fundamental rights made clear in the Vietnamese Law on Protection, Care and Education of Children and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
VOVNews: What do you think of the family’s role in children’s lives?
Mr An: During the month, we will celebrate Vietnam Family Day with the theme “For a family without violence.” There is no denying the fact that family has a direct impact on children’s growth and children are primary victims of family violence. Therefore, parents play a very important role in a family. In the market economy today, many parents pay too much attention to economic factors instead of bringing up their children. Many children even do not see their parents the whole week. These are causes that leave their children vulnerable to social vices.
VOVNews: Thank you.
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