Since the beginning of the year, there have been consecutive cases of children and students drowning even though it is not yet summer. During the hot season, when schools are closed, the risk of drowning increases even more.
The whole country is entering the peak of the heat wave, in some places the temperature can reach over 40 degrees Celsius. The story of children missing school and drowning is repeated year after year without end. This is not only a concern for each individual and each family but also for the whole society.
Delegates visit the swimming pool to prevent drowning for children in Binh Thuan province.
Increased drowning cases since the beginning of the year
Since the beginning of the year, many tragic drowning cases of children have occurred in some localities. Typically, on April 22, two female students, NTTT and BTNL (born in 2013), studying at the Nuong Dam Primary and Secondary School, Kim Boi District (Hoa Binh), went to the dam to play after school and unfortunately drowned. When the incident happened, people quickly rescued and provided first aid, but the two children did not survive.
Also on April 22, four students from Nguyen Duc Canh Primary School, on their way home from school, went to the Viet Duc 4 irrigation lake (Ea Ktur commune, Cu Kuin district, Dak Lak) to bathe. While bathing, they unfortunately entered deep water, resulting in three students drowning.
Previously, on April 17, after school, a group of 7th grade students from Nghia Thuan Secondary School, Thai Hoa town invited each other to go to Khe Dua dam area (Hamlet 2, Nghia Thuan commune, Nghia Dan, Nghe An) to play. While walking along the water's edge, one student unfortunately slipped and fell in, another student reached out to save them but was unsuccessful, both sank into the deep water. It was not until around 6 p.m. that people found the bodies of the two female students. According to statistics from Nghe An province, from December 15, 2023 to mid-April 2024, there were 12 drowning accidents in the area, killing 16 people...
These are just a few examples of child drowning incidents that occurred in April 2024 in various localities. According to a report by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, on average, about 2,000 children die from drowning each year in Vietnam. Although the number of children drowning has decreased in recent years, this is still one of the leading causes of death in children.
Experts estimate that as a country with a long coastline and many rivers and streams, the rate of child deaths due to drowning in Vietnam still ranks 7th among countries in the Western Pacific; the number of children dying from drowning is 10 times higher than in other countries. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death and injury for children.
In 2024, the weather is forecast to be hotter due to the influence of El Nino, children will have more need to swim. Furthermore, people in the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta provinces will dig more ponds and lakes for agricultural production. This poses more risks of drowning for children.
Reduce drowning deaths
Swimming is the most basic and necessary skill for children to prevent drowning accidents. However, most swimming teaching activities for students have not yet brought about the expected results. Some primary schools in big cities have piloted swimming lessons for students to popularize swimming. However, organizing swimming lessons in schools is difficult due to the lack of swimming pools and teachers in charge. This becomes even more difficult in rural areas.
Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Children (Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs) said that currently only 42/63 provinces and cities have a budget to invest specifically in drowning prevention.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, the whole country has only nearly 2,200 schools with swimming pools/a total of more than 25,000 schools, accounting for 8.63%. The percentage of students who know how to swim is only 33.59%.
According to many experts, preventing drowning accidents is not simply about learning to swim. More importantly, children need to be instructed on where to play and how to play safely. In reality, equipping children with skills to respond to incidents, especially in rural areas and areas with difficult economic conditions, has not received due attention. Therefore, in addition to strengthening education and supervision, training and fostering basic life skills for children is extremely important.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just approved the Safe Swimming Program to prevent and combat drowning in children for the period 2021-2030. The plan aims to control and reduce the situation of drowning accidents in children. The specific goals set are: 100% of provinces and centrally-run cities implement the Safe Swimming Program to prevent and combat drowning in children. Strive for 60% of children aged 6 to under 16 to know water safety skills by 2025 and reach 70% by 2030. 50% of children aged 6 to under 16 to know how to swim safely by 2025 and increase to 60% by 2030.
At the same time, 90% of households will have access to information, knowledge and skills on preventing and combating child drowning accidents by 2025 and 95% by 2030. Reduce the number of children dying from drowning by 10% by 2025 and 20% by 2030 compared to 2020.
Preventing and combating child drowning is not only the responsibility of individuals, but also the responsibility of the whole society. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to implement synchronous measures. Coordination between agencies, organizations and the community is essential. Propaganda and education strategies need to be widely implemented, especially in high-risk areas. Families and schools need to be equipped with skills to prevent and combat child drowning and raise safety awareness. Preventing child drowning requires consensus and efforts from all parties involved. Only with close coordination and cooperation between the community, organizations and the Government can the goal of protecting the health and safety of future generations be successful - Director of the Department of Children Dang Hoa Nam clearly stated.
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