The Central Party Office recently announced the General Secretary's conclusions from a working session with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Health and other ministries on caring for and protecting children in special circumstances. He stressed that this group of children suffers many disadvantages in living conditions, nutrition, education, and healthcare. Therefore, caring for them is not only to address their current hardships but also to secure their future and the nation's sustainable development.
The General Secretary called on agencies to develop prevention strategies to limit child abandonment and support high-risk groups, including women with unplanned pregnancies, single mothers, broken families, and migrant workers facing difficulties. He also mandated that all abandoned children must be immediately received and cared for. Detection sites such as hospitals, residential areas, police, and authorities are responsible for initial screening, primary healthcare, record-keeping, and handover according to established procedures, absolutely avoiding any delays caused by shifting responsibility.
A doctor checks the health of an abandoned boy in Ha Tinh, 7/2024. Photo: Khac Mai |
A doctor checks the health of an abandoned boy in Ha Tinh, 7/2024. Photo: Khac Mai
Should any abandoned children be overlooked, abused, or exploited, the involved organizations and individuals will be held accountable. Care models should also transition from centralized facilities to family and community-based approaches, featuring small homes and small groups. This fosters stable bonds with caregivers and provides a nurturing, family-like environment for the children.
Social protection facilities will see upgrades in equipment, personnel, care standards, and violence and abuse prevention measures. Additional facilities will be established in major cities and industrial zones. The Ministry of Health is tasked with developing an interlinked process, from the discovery of abandoned children to their initial care, integrating with population data. The Ministry of Education and Training will create integration support programs tailored to each age group of children.
The Party Committee of the Fatherland Front and central mass organizations will expand models such as: foster mothers, peaceful homes, trusted addresses, adopted children of communal police, and adopted children of border guards.
Vietnam currently has about 156,000 children without parental care, with 33,000 of them living in centralized care facilities.
Vu Tuan
