VietNamNet Bridge – Closer co-operation between authorities is necessary to raise awareness on the rights of children and to prevent violence against children and other abuses at home and school, officials said at a seminar in HCM City yesterday.

The figures were seven times higher in the community and 13 times higher in schools.

The cases occured despite regulations being in place to protect children, since they were not stringent enough, delegates said.

Le Hoang Minh of the city’s police department said parents, lacking knowledge of child rearing but anxious to ensure their children grow up properly, sometimes caused serious mental and physical injuries. To overcome this, it was necessary to carry out awareness campaigns in the media, he added.

But serious injuries and even deaths caused by gratuitous violence by parents and teachers are being increasingly reported.

Phan Thanh Minh, head of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Children Section, said in the 2005-07 period, 114 children died from domestic violence every year on average.

Violence and suicide ranked only behind road accidents and drowning as the leading causes of child deaths.

Hotline reports

She said while there were no specific figures on ill-treatment of children, hotline reports and statistics from the department of child protection show ed family-related violence against children had increased three-fold in the past decade.

The figures were seven times higher in the community and 13 times higher in schools. Minh added the real number could be even higher since many cases went unreported.

With the concept that punishing children is a private and family thing remaining prevalent, it was difficult for other people to report violence, Minh added. Her department is co-operating with the Children Protection Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to set up a hotline (18001567) for children.

Many delegates attributed the rising incidence of violence to poverty, saying most cases happen in families in a bad economic situation or living in outlying districts.

In HCM City 58 percent of children say they are flogged or scolded by parents and teachers every time they make a mistake.

But awareness among children and even parents about laws against violence and those protecting children remains poor.

Doctor Le Van Tung, head of the Injury Department at Children Hospital 2, said this year 30 children had been admitted to his hospital with injuries caused by their parents, adding, however, the actual number was much higher than reported.

Minh said in recent years there has been an increase in the incidence of sexual abuse of children in the community, with parents forcing juveniles to work for a living or beg.

(Source: Viet Nam News)