Vietnam launches national program to protect children
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The Vietnamese Ministry of Health began a national program to protect children across the country.
Deputy Minister Lê Đức Luận announced the program, noting that the rate of children working illegally decreased from 5.4% to 1.31% and that all children experiencing harm now receive support. Vietnam operates a three-tiered system of child protection, prevention, support, and intervention, and maintains a national hotline, 111, for child protection and a new hotline, 117, to combat domestic violence.
However, officials recognize increasing challenges to child welfare, including rising rates of violence globally due to economic hardship and disasters. Child labor continues in agriculture, forestry, and small businesses, where monitoring is difficult. Some localities lack sufficient child protection services, and connections between services are not always seamless. Michaela Bauer, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Vietnam, explained that Vietnamese children still face risks like violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse, including online harm, as well as dangerous work.
She stated that legal and policy improvements alone are not enough, and Vietnam needs a strong, integrated, and well-funded child protection system with skilled social workers and accessible services. The program aims to reduce violence and sexual abuse against children by at least 5% annually and lower the rate of child labor for those aged 5 to 17 to under 1.1% by 2030.
It will also focus on data management to identify and support at-risk children, with a goal of managing all vulnerable children within a shared national database.
