Ho Chi Minh City mobilizes all forces to bring homeless people and beggars to social centers before Tet

The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City has just sent an urgent document to the City Police, the Youth Volunteer Force, the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City...

Accordingly, the Department requested units to increase the peak period of gathering children, homeless people, beggars and people in need of urgent protection in the city right before the 2024 Lunar New Year to ensure urban beauty and security at events and festivals during Tet.

TPHCM tổng lực đưa người lang thang, xin ăn về trung tâm xã hội trước Tết - 1 — Ho Chi Minh City authorities gather homeless people and beggars to social protection facilities (Illustration: Huu Khoa).

In this document, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City requested the City Police to direct local police to develop a peak plan, coordinate with local working groups to focus on children, homeless people, beggars, etc.

The Department requests special attention at intersections, events, festivals, spring flower markets, religious establishments... These are places where vagrants and beggars often appear.

Youth volunteer orderlies are required to be on duty at assigned locations, and to immediately report to the Task Force or local authorities and police when they discover children, vagrants, beggars, etc. at their duty points for timely handling. In particular, this force is tasked with preventing children, vagrants, etc. from soliciting tourists at spring travel locations.

The most difficult task is for local authorities. The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City requests the People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City to have a peak plan to carry out this task. The working group must organize patrols and check roads, intersections with high traffic density, event venues, religious establishments, etc. to promptly detect and handle.

In case of detecting signs of luring or enticing children, disabled people, or the elderly to beg for profit, the Working Group must immediately handle the situation or transfer the case to the investigation agency.

In particular, central city districts are required to organize patrols at prominent locations such as headquarters of central and city agencies, Nguyen Hue walking street, Ben Thanh market, Spring Flower Festival, fireworks display locations, etc.

Social protection centers are also directed to review and prepare facilities to receive and accommodate those who are gathered, ensuring care and nurturing in accordance with state policies.

According to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, in 2023, Ho Chi Minh City has issued a decision to issue a coordination mechanism to implement the work of gathering children, beggars and other subjects in need of urgent protection in the city. This mechanism is the basis for the industry to promote the work of gathering the above subjects to social protection centers, bringing them to their places of residence...

In 2023 alone, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs initially received 1,044 cases of children, beggars, people living in public places, and people without stable residence; of which 219 cases showed signs of mental illness.

According to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, this work has been effectively implemented thanks to the support of the people and the press; coordination in providing information, reflecting cases of vagrants, beggars and cases with signs of beggar solicitation...

Since then, the industry has basically solved the problem of beggars in the city, especially in inner-city areas.

However, in reality, this situation still occasionally appears on the streets when the authorities reduce the frequency of patrols. Therefore, the 2024 orientation of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City is to continue to strengthen the resolution of the situation of children, beggars and other subjects in need of urgent protection in the city.

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