The first-ever art exhibition on child drowning prevention is being held at Exhibition Hall No. 45 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi between July 23-31. (Photo of the organiser) The exhibition, entitled "Shared concerns and action”, was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids/Global Health Advocacy Incubator and the World Health Organisation.
In April 2021, the United Nations General Assembly for the first time in its history adopted a Resolution on Global Drowning and designated July 25 every year as World Drowning Prevention Day. In response to World Drowning Prevention Day 2022, the event aims to promote awareness among parents and the community about drowning accidents and effective prevention measures.
“In Vietnam, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 15. Through this exhibition, we want to raise awareness of child drowning deaths, communicate that drowning is largely preventable and we want to talk about the importance of drowning prevention interventions. We look forward to continuing to work with the Vietnamese Government to create a safe environment for all children to grow up in,” said Yolonda Richardson, the Executive Vice President of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
The exhibition space includes a special installation made of thousands of paper butterflies called "Fragile". Each butterfly wing is a symbolic image representing children, both beautiful and fragile thus requiring attention and care anywhere, anytime from adults.
According to the World Health Organisation, over the past decade drowning has claimed the lives of more than 2.5 million people. It is also one of the world’s leading causes of death among children aged 5-14. More than 90% of drowning cases occur in low-and middle-income countries. In Vietnam, drowning is one of the top ten causes of death for children aged 5 to 14. /.
VNA
