Hau Giang to build 1,000 “safe homes” for children by 2020

Hau Giang (VNA) – The safe home model will be applied to about 1,000 families with children in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang by 2020 as part of the province’s child injury prevention programme.

Accordingly, the province will provide at-home intervention and consultation services to help the families prevent injuries for their children. Guidelines for the safe use of home appliances will also be given to mitigate associated risks.

The home will then be examined and recognised as “safe” if it satisfies the authority’s safety standards.

Hau Giang plans to build 40 safe schools and 10 communes and towns with safe community standards by 2020.

The province targets to provide 90 percent of local primary and secondary students with education on traffic safety regulations while 40 percent of them will be taught basic skills to stay safe around water.

It also aims to see 90 percent of those children using life jackets while travelling on waterways and all city and districts piloting safe swimming programmes for children.

Dong Van Thanh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee said the locality is working to raise awareness of the importance of child injury prevention among children, their families, schools and the community; and improve the capability of childcare workers on the issue.

Accidental injury among children is a pressing problem around the world, especially in Vietnam where the rate of accidental injuries and deaths is among the highest in the world.

Some 18 children aged 0-19 years died of accidental injuries each day in Vietnam in 2013.

Among the sources of fatalities and injuries are drowning, traffic accidents, falling from a height and severe burns, as well as being bitten by animals and being cut with pointed objects. Drowning and traffic accidents are the most common.-VNA