Vietnam/ For a childhood without toil
Over the past ten years, Vietnam has made significant progress in the fight against child labor. A solid legal framework in line with international standards has been established, and a collective effort is underway to facilitate access to education.
To combat child labor, Vietnam has enacted several regulations aimed at strengthening the legal framework for child protection and the prevention of child labor. Notably with the 2016 Law on Children, which explicitly defines their rights and protection from child labor and any exploitation, while proposing severe penalties for violations.
Improving the legal framework
The 2019 Labor Code also lays down strict rules, such as a formal ban on all employment of children under the age of 15, with the exception of certain light tasks that do not affect their health or education. For children aged between 15 and 18, the law also includes strict regulations on working hours, types and conditions.
The Vietnamese government has signed and ratified several international conventions on children's rights and the prevention of child labor, such as Conventions 138 and 182 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). A 2021-2025 program for the prevention and reduction of child labor is also being implemented. It includes measures to support education and vocational training, and to improve living conditions for poor families.
The government has also set up numerous other programs to support education for poor children, particularly in remote areas. Every year, thousands of underprivileged students, including orphans, receive scholarships and tuition assistance to enable them to continue their studies.
In 2023, the Vietnam Child Protection Fund awarded 13,877 scholarships worth 9.4 billion dôngs and supported 17,800 children in special circumstances, with total funding exceeding 20 billion dôngs.
In addition, many schools, particularly in rural and mountainous areas, have been built or modernized. The national program of education and training objectives has helped to improve learning conditions for hundreds of thousands of students. In 2023 alone, 272 children's schools were built or upgraded.
Today, the education sector aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 95% of pupils of lower secondary school age and at least 75% of pupils of upper secondary school age will be enrolled in primary schools.The aim is to ensure that all children have the opportunity to study at least until the end of lower secondary education.
International cooperation is one of the most effective ways of tackling the main causes of child labor. International projects focus on livelihood support for vulnerable families, ensuring that children can work safely and legally.
Livelihood support
The ENHANCE project, a technical assistance initiative to prevent and reduce child labor in Vietnam, has been implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs since 2015. This project has recorded positive results in three localities: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and An Giang (South).
Dang Van Huy, a 6th grader from Châu Phu district in An Giang province (Mekong delta), helps with household chores and assists his mother with oyster mushroom cultivation. Her family is one of 13 households supported by the ENHANCE project.
Nearby, Nguyên Thanh Nhân, a 7th grader, also benefits from the project. His father, Nguyên Minh Hùng, shares: "I find this project very practical, as it provides a stable income for our family. Oyster mushrooms can be harvested several times, and are easy to grow and maintain. After deducting initial costs, the income is around 2 million dôngs per crop."" Thanks to the project's support, my child can continue his studies", he adds.
According to Vo Quang Huy, head of child protection in Châu Phu district, the ENHANCE project has produced very positive results. As well as supporting children's education, raising their awareness and enhancing their skills, it also helps families to stabilize their livelihoods in the long term.
In Hanoi's Thach Thât district, 45-year-old Dang Thi Thuy Hiên was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. Her husband held temporary jobs on construction sites, whileMs. Hi ên, due to her illness, was unable to work, making it difficult to simultaneously support the couple's children's education and her medical expenses.
Her family and 11 others were selected to take part in OCOP's "4-Star Potato Journey". They benefited from technical assistance and 90% of the financial support needed for planting, seeds and fertilizers, were trained in organic potato growing methods and in household financial management, and were able to take part in the "Potato Journey". financial management of a household, and received help in promoting agricultural products, as well as designing packaging, leaflets and product samples for appropriate markets.
Education and vocational training
The income from growing potatoes has helped us a lot. I have an extra income to finance my children's education. I'm very grateful to the project and the cooperative for their support", sharesMs. Hiên.
In eight years, nearly 6,000 children have benefited from educational and vocational support, 1.600 households have improved their livelihoods, and nearly 550 children have received aid such as health insurance and assistance for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For children from ethnic minorities, especially girls who are at high risk of dropping out of school due to early marriage, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee, have been working to improve the living conditions of these children.s Affairs, in cooperation with UNESCO, have launched the "We Can" project in the provinces of Hà Giang (North), Ninh Thuân (Centre) and Soc Trang (South), and plan to extend it to the provinces of Cao Bang (North) and Kon Tum (Central Highlands).
In just over two years, more than 16,000 ethnic minority pupils have continued their studies, and 4,500 parents have become aware of the importance of education.
A national report on child labor, published in 2020 by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, indicates that over a million children work, mainly in agriculture, construction and services, and that 70% of them come from poor or near-poor families. Child labor is particularly widespread in rural and mountainous areas of the North, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, where economic conditions are less favorable, and access to education limited.
Source: lecourrier.vn/
