Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently inked Directive No.23/CT-TTg on strengthening measures to ensure the enforcement of the rights of children and child protection.

Accordingly, ministries, agencies and people’s committees at all levels were asked to strictly enforce legal regulations on children, regularly review and renew related policies and regulations and raise public awareness of child protection policies and laws.

Heads of agencies and local authorities must be responsible for child deaths caused by injuries, serious violation of children’s rights, and violence and sex abuse as well as promptly deal with children’s right violation case.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs was tasked to review and propose amenments to laws and policies on social assistance to disadvantaged children and build a national action program for children and a program on child labor prevention and mitigation.

The ministry must reduce child deaths due to drowning, direct basic facilities to provide child protection services effectively as well as inspect and supervise the implementation of child rights and policies and laws on prevention of child abuse and violence. 

The Ministry of Health was required to take actions to reduce and prevent malnutrition among children aged below 5, particularly those in remote and ethnic minority regions.

The Ministry of Education and Training must work to prevent violence, abuse and accidents at schools and improve the supply of clean water and safe food at educational establishments and the capacity and professional ethics of teachers.

Viet Nam was the first country in Asia and the second in the world to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990.

The rate of casualties in under-five-year-old children has reduced by 75% in the past 30 years.

Viet Nam has also eliminated many dangerous diseases thanks to vaccination such as polio and newborn tetanus.

The rate of children suffering from stunting due to malnutrition has been cut by half.