Practical action, prioritizing resources for children

Imbued with the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh: “Taking good care and educating children is the task of the entire Party and the entire people. That work must be done persistently and persistently...”, over the past years, the work of caring for, protecting and educating children has received attention from all levels, sectors and localities and achieved positive results. Children are increasingly protected, cared for and educated better, prioritized and affirmed in socio-economic development plans at many levels and sectors in the direction of a results-based approach and meeting the basic rights of children.

Practical action, prioritizing resources for children Protect, care for and educate children to create a good, safe and healthy living environment for children to develop comprehensively (illustrative photo).

With the theme "Practical actions, prioritizing resources for children", the Month of Action for Children 2024 is an opportunity for agencies, organizations, families, individuals and the whole society to join hands and commit to fully perform their roles and responsibilities in ensuring the implementation of children's rights; implementing preventive, support and intervention measures to protect children promptly and effectively; strengthening the dissemination and education of legal knowledge for parents, teachers, caregivers and children on the implementation of children's rights... in order to build a safe, healthy and friendly living environment and help children develop comprehensively...

According to statistics from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, there are currently 1,005,868 children under 16 years old in the province (accounting for 27.2% of the province's population), including 13,056 children in special circumstances (HCDB), accounting for 1.3% and 108,515 children at risk of falling into HCDB, accounting for 10.79% of the total number of children. With the attention and close direction of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, Provincial People's Committee, all levels, sectors and localities have closely coordinated, flexibly and effectively implemented the tasks of protecting and caring for children in accordance with the practical situation; promoted propaganda to create clear changes in the awareness and actions of the community and society to join hands to protect, care for and educate children.

Child care and support activities are carried out regularly, especially care and support for children with special needs and difficult circumstances. In 2023, the Provincial Children's Support Fund carried out many practical and meaningful support activities for 7,672 children with special needs and difficult circumstances in the province, with a total budget of VND 4,560,700,000 (of which, the Vietnam Children's Support Fund supported VND 2,679,000,000; the mobilized source of Thanh Hoa Children's Support Fund was VND 1,881,700,000). Specifically, 1,475 children received free milk and other foods; 24 children received sponsored congenital heart surgery, 21 children had surgery for motor defects, 11 children had smile surgery; presented 377 scholarships, 247 bicycles, supported meals for 60 children; invested in building a playground for children, organized events to visit and give gifts to 2,254 children on the occasion of Lunar New Year, International Children's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival...; invested in building clean water facilities, toilets and supported daily necessities and essential items for children. Programs and projects to develop physical strength for children were deployed and implemented fully and promptly. 100% of children of the right age were given vitamin A; 99% of children were vaccinated against dangerous diseases...

Along with the above activities, the work of preventing and combating child abuse and violence and preventing accidents and injuries to children has received special attention from all levels, sectors and localities. People's Committees of districts, towns and cities coordinate with socio-political organizations to organize free swimming classes for children; educational institutions focus on educating and disseminating knowledge and skills to students on self-protection, preventing risks of abuse, accidents, injuries, drowning, etc. Along with that, the indicators of education quality at all levels of the province are higher than the national average; the quality of comprehensive education and key education is increasingly improved. The system of facilities and equipment for children's entertainment and recreation has received investment attention; 100% of communes, wards and towns in the province have cultural and sports centers, entertainment areas; 100% of villages and residential groups have cultural houses. During the summer vacation, communes, wards and towns organize camps with many cultural and artistic activities, attracting tens of thousands of young people to participate.

With the synchronous implementation of solutions, the work of protecting, caring for and educating children in the province has had many positive changes in recent years. The material and spiritual life of children has gradually improved; the rate of children in special and difficult circumstances decreased by 0.05% over the same period; 83.4% of communes, wards and towns met child-friendly standards; the rate of child deaths due to accidents and injuries was 4.4/100,000 children (a decrease of 1.1/100,000 children compared to the same period in 2022)... At the same time, organize social activities for children, activities to promote children's participation such as visiting, supporting, giving gifts to children in difficult circumstances; organize medical examination and treatment for poor children; Organize classes to teach life skills, self-protection skills to prevent violence, child abuse, prevent accidents, injuries, and drowning in children...

To create a “green environment” for children’s physical and mental development, more than ever, it is necessary to have the cooperation of the community, to promote the sense of responsibility of schools, families and the whole society. Each individual in the community should act for children with responsibility and compassion. At the same time, society should strongly condemn and strictly handle wrongdoings against children; thereby contributing to improving the quality of child protection, care and education, in order to create a good, safe and healthy living environment for children to develop comprehensively.

Article and photos: Tran Hang

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