Two babysitters accused of mistreating children at a kindergarten in Ward 17 of Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City, are questioned by police officers (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) -President Tran Dai Quang has requested an extensive examination and inspectionof the observance of law provisions at preschools, kindergartens and children’sgroups throughout the country so as to prevent and strictly handle violationsagainst children.
He also asked for effective solutions to ensure that children throughout thecountry live in a safe, healthy and inclusive environment both physically andmentally.
The request was issued on November 28 following a series of cases of violence,abuse and murder involving children in some localities.
An official letter, No 1581/VPCTN-TH, was sent from the President’s Office tothe National Committee for Children, Central Committee of the VietnamFatherland Front, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, theMinistry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry ofPublic Security, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy andpeople’s committees of the cities and provinces.
The letter noted that recent media reports had highlighted manyincidents of violence against children, causing psychological pain and anxietyfor families and concern among the public.
As a result, President Quang asked all relevant ministries, sectors andlocalities to intensify the inspection, examination and supervision of theimplementation of the Party’s undertakings and guidelines as well as theState’s policies and laws on children, especially Direction No 20-CT/TW datedNovember 5, 2012 of the 11th Politburo on strengthening the leadership of theParty over the care, education and protection of children in the new situationas well as the 2016 Law on Children.
Within just one week, a series of cases of child abuse, kidnapping and evenmurder have been reported in the media.
On November 26 morning, a video posted online showed the owner and two teachersfrom a private kindergarten in HCM City slapping toddlers aged 3-5 on theirfaces, heads and backs, and throwing the children in the air.
Last week, three videos were posted online by a mother in the northern provinceof Ha Nam showing a domestic helper slapping a one-month old infant on herface, head and back, throwing the girl in the air and putting a towel in hermouth.
Three days ago, a seven-year-old girl in the southern province of Kien Giang’s ChauThanh district was allegedly tortured by her stepmother with a hot iron rod,leaving her scarred.
Alarmingly, a six-year-old boy was killed by a man in HCM City’s Tan Phu districton November 26 evening. On November 27, a 20-day-old infant in Thanh Hoa provincewas found dead at a rubbish dump after being told to be kidnapped from her hometwo days earlier.
All cases stirred anger and concern among the public about the care andprotection of children.-VNA
VNA
