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| UNICEF Viet Nam promotes and improves mental health on the occasion of World Children's Day 2023. (Source: UNICEF) |
1. The results of the latest Vietnam Adolescent Mental Health Survey highlight a worrying reality: many children, adolescents and young people are struggling with mental health difficulties. Many lack coping skills, essential supports and important services related to their overall well-being.
The Survey also found that one in five adolescents had a mental health problem, and only 8.4% had accessed support or counselling services for emotional and behavioural problems. Furthermore, only 5.1% of parents of adolescents perceived their child needed help for emotional and behavioural problems.
2. Mental health is also an issue that young people care about. Earlier this year, UNICEF Viet Nam consulted the UNICEF youth network (U-report) on the issues that children, adolescents and young people care about the most. The majority of participants chose the issue of "mental health", calling for greater attention and support, and suggested that UNICEF dedicate World Children's Day 2023 to promoting and protecting mental health.
Therefore, the focus of UNICEF Viet Nam's special campaign to celebrate World Children's Day is to provide positive approaches and resources to promote mental health, while eliminating negative attitudes and stereotypes related to mental health issues.
3. Ms. Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Viet Nam congratulated the Government of Viet Nam on “ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive mental health strategy” and stated that UNICEF encourages a specific focus on early intervention, providing appropriate strategies and interventions specifically designed for children and adolescents to build skills and enhance resilience as well as promote mental health.
Parents and teachers need to be equipped with the skills, knowledge and resources to enjoy and promote mental health, she said.
“It is essential that we all, parents, teachers, social workers, health care workers, governments and private businesses, work together to eliminate the stigma around mental health, understand the differences between boys and girls in their experiences and responses to mental health, and actively and persistently promote approaches and strategies to enhance prevention of serious risks in this area.”
4. Starting today, 20 November, the anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a media campaign will be launched to disseminate information related to mental health and positive approaches.
Themed “Open up & Connect”, the campaign will run until 11 December, UNICEF’s 77th anniversary, and will feature support, resources and creative ideas to help people learn to recognise better when a friend, daughter, son, student or themselves are struggling. The campaign’s tools and activities will provide coping strategies and encourage everyone to open up and connect with each other, friends, parents and teachers who can provide mental health support.
“Mental health is normal and just as important as our physical health,” says Flowers.
“It is important that this issue is addressed by the government at all levels – at home, at school, in the community to ensure that the National Mental Health Strategy that the Government of Vietnam is developing places a specific focus on children and adolescents,” she concluded.
5. The participation of children and young people is a core principle of the CRC and UNICEF is committed to increasing the participation of children and young people in activities and discussions on important issues that affect their lives.
Therefore, on World Children's Day, UNICEF Viet Nam conducts activities to enhance children's participation, such as children taking on the role of adults working in agencies and offices for a few hours, speaking up about issues they care about, sharing ideas and better understanding job opportunities and necessary skills for them in the future.
UNICEF Viet Nam’s NexGen youth entrepreneurship network initiative is also partnering with businesses in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome groups of children and youth to celebrate World Children’s Day, and iconic landmarks in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will turn blue to celebrate the rights of every child.
| To promote mental health, UNICEF Viet Nam is planning an event on 28 November in Ha Noi, where experts from ministries, sectors and research institutes will analyse the mental health situation of children and adolescents and share ideas and lessons learned, thereby supporting a dynamic and child/adolescent-sensitive national strategy. Delegates will learn about concerns and ideas for promoting mental health directly from young people, as well as from the results of the 'Hackathon 2023' currently taking place in Da Nang city until 26 November. |
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