Dong Nai pays attention to taking care of children

Under the programme, the province aims to manage, give help to and make timely interventions for children vulnerable to harm, violations or exploitation and ensure 100% of children under 18 years old with difficult circumstances are granted health insurance cards, taken care of and re-integrated into the community. 

Meanwhile, education programmes will be implemented for children aged nine and above to equip them with knowledge to shield themselves from exploitation and violations. 

The province has boosted connection between disadvantaged children and governments at all levels and with organisations to help them gain access to social welfare. It has also implemented many communication campaigns for parents and the community to become fully aware of children rights. 

In the past few years, Dong Nai established six consulting points for children aged under 18 and six more such points will be formed in two mountainous districts of Tan Phu and Cam My. 

Besides that, the province will build a community-based preventive and assistance model for children in disadvantaged circumstances. Dong Nai will prioritise the implementation of the programme at remote communes and ethnic minority groups. 

According to the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the province currently has 655,000 children aged under 16, including 11,000 disadvantaged ones. 

From 2011 to mid-2016, the province spent VND46 billion (US$2.06 million) to assist children with disability and poor children. 

Despite these efforts, the protection and care of children is still limited and each year dozens of children are seriously harmed and 10,000 suffer from injuries and accidents.