Governmental officials and NGOs working for children’s rights met yesterday in Ha Noi to discuss co-operation on how to better protect children in Viet Nam.

Governmental officials and NGOs working for children’s rights met yesterday, April 9, in Ha Noi to discuss co-operation on how to better protect children in Viet Nam.

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According to Tran Thi Thanh Thanh, chairwoman of the Viet Nam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights (VAPCR), the country had more than 330 associations working for children with a number of centres and houses dedicated to nursing and protecting children who were victims of abuse, trafficking, orphaned or disabled.

That figure did not include more than 200 pagodas and privates centres that take care of children in Viet Nam, she added.

Along with the Government and State’s support, many of the centres were established by NGOs and private organisations, said Thanh, adding that the role of NGOs and civil organisations is very important in protecting children.

Chairwoman Thanh calculated that children account for one third of the 86 million people in Viet Nam and they’ll be the next generation to contribute to the development of the country.

Ngo Thi Minh, deputy head of National Assembly’s Culture and Education for Adolescent and Child Department also appreciated the work that had been done for Vietnamese children but said that there were still shortcomings because a growing number of children were abused, orphaned or involved in crime.

Social workers said there needed to be more communication because their work occasionally overlapped with other agencies, bringing ineffective results.

The weak connection and co-operation between the NGOs and with Government offices was hampering protection as they did not have a strong voice, chairwoman Thanh said.

Thanh said they would like to set up a network to form a common voice that could be heard more clearly and help improve children’s rights in Viet Nam.

Peter Van Dommelen, programme support manager at Plan Viet Nam, said that to protect the children, voices at the lowest level should be heard.

The meeting suggested that the NGOs should work with each other to share information, exchange experience and enhance human resources in order to improve the effectiveness of their work.

They should also stay in close contact with State agencies such as the Child Protection Department under the Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and VAPCR, which could help bring fresh ideas and new policies to the table.

Thanh finished by emphasising: “No individual alone can take care of the children.”

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News