Over VND30 billion to protect vulnerable children

Accordingly, from 2017 to 2019, the project will carry out activities to develop friendly and safe educational environment at 50 schools, and increase the participation of agencies, unions, social organizations and communities across 4 districts in the project, which benefits 55,000 children; 48,000 teachers, school managing boards, child care officers, volunteers and parents.

Nguyen Lu Gia, Manager of the Child Protection Program of the SCI, said that the project aims to support extremely disadvantaged children and migrant children with access to good quality education; eliminate physical punishment and violence against children at schools and communities.

“The project also helps reinforce community-based child protection networks by promoting the participation of related agencies, social organizations and people in protecting children who are vulnerable and at risk of being abused, suffering violence, being mistreated or bullied,” he said. 

Earlier, in 2013-2016, the first phase of the project was carried out in Go Vap and Cu Chi districts, helping develop and operate mechanisms of reporting abuse and exploitation of children at schools; replacing physical and spiritual punishment with active educational discipline at schools; and pilot applying criteria assessing friendly and good quality educational environment.

Statistics show that there are over 1.5 million children in Ho Chi Minh city, including over 13,000 children in special circumstances, over 35,000 children at risk of falling into special circumstances, and over 25,000 children in nearly-poor families. The number of children in risk of falling into special circumstances tends to be on the rise, which are mainly migrant children and those from poor and nearly-poor families./.