The book "Netsmart - the smart use of the Internet"
The move is part of the 2017 Vietnam Internet Forum which recently closed in Hanoi.
This easy-to-read reference document in Vietnamese will provide parents, teachers, educators, policy-makers, NGOs and adults an effective solution to protect children on the Internet.
It includes 27 pages of advices from child psychologists, police and stories from individuals who have been abused; helping educate adults with knowledge, ideas and ways of communicating with children about everything that can happen on the Internet.
As noted by the Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan, Internet usage in Vietnam has reached 50 million people or 54% of the population, which is higher than the global average of 46.46% and Vietnam is among the Asian countries with the largest number of Internet users.
Comparing with the 205,000 users in the early days of the Internet to 31 million users in 2012, the figure of 50 million users in 2017 is truly impressive. Unfortunately, this advancement has also created additional risks for children, as there are increasing cases of abuse and violence against children, as reported by both mainstream media and social media.
An UNICEF survey conducted in 2016 indicates that 74% of children and adolescents in Vietnam believe that they are in danger of being sexually abused or taken advantage of online, and 75% of them would go to their parents or caregivers if they were threatened.
Parents themselves, however, continue to face a lot of difficulties in talking with their children about these issues, both the advantages and risks that children may experience when they are using the Internet.
“We cannot and we should not stop children from accessing and using Internet, but we could support and protect children from cyber risk. Parents and other adults in children’s close surroundings need to create an environment where they will be able to talk to children about what they do or who they meet on the Internet,” said Dragana Strinic, Country Director of Save the Children in Vietnam.
Much as the booklet “Respect! My body!” introduced to the public in Vietnamese last May, this brochure introduces innovative ideas about how to openly talk to children about the risks of sexual abuse on the Internet, and above all how to use the Internet safely and smartly./.