Child drowning warning

Drowning topic:

Child drowning warning

Statistics from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs show that on average, every year from 2010 to 2015, about 3,000 children in Vietnam drowned. By 2016, the number of children who died from drowning was 2,110 cases and from 2017 to now, the number of incomplete reports from localities is about 2,000. This rate is considered the highest in Southeast Asia and 10 times higher than developed countries. In Nghe An, the number of children who drowned is always among the top in the country, especially in recent months. So what causes this situation?

Lesson 1: Tragic deaths

Nghe An is the province with the largest natural area in the country (16,490 km2), complex terrain, harsh weather, long hot summers. It has a coastline of 82 km with 6 estuaries connecting to the sea; a system of rivers, dams, and lakes (inland waterways have 13 large and small rivers with a total length of over 1,000 km) always posing a high risk of drowning accidents for children. The population is over 3.1 million people, of which the number of children from 0 to 16 years old is over 800,000, accounting for 26.5% of the population.

Recently, although the Party Committee and authorities at all levels have issued a series of documents and prevention plans, the situation of drowning in children is still at an alarming level. According to statistics from the Provincial Police, in the first 6 months of 2019, there were more than 40 drowning incidents, taking the lives of more than 50 children. Especially in recent months, there have been consecutive heartbreaking mass drowning incidents.

Specifically, on May 30, a group of 8th grade students in Yen Thanh district died from drowning while going to a party on the last day of the school year. Previously, in Thai Hoa town, on the afternoon of April 29, 3 cousins ​​aged 9-13 also drowned in the Hieu River flowing through Long Son ward. Most recently, on June 23, 3 students went to Lam River in Thanh Chuong district to swim and suddenly had an accident. The heartbreaking thing is that 2 of the 3 victims had only 1 day left to take the National High School Exam...

Playing with "death"

On a late June afternoon, as usual, Lo Ngoc Vui (12 years old) rushed to Pha Lai dam to play with his friends right after returning from helping his mother in the fields. The group of children were engrossed in playing with the “death god”, running on the slippery dam, with deep, fast-flowing water below. Seeing the reporter filming, Vui and the group of hyperactive children became even more excited, competing to perform risky moves such as jumping from the top of the dam, nearly 10 meters high, or somersaulting into the fast-flowing water...

Not far away is a danger warning sign installed by the government. It seems that none of the children here care. There are no adults around to watch over them, and the children say that the minimal protective equipment such as life jackets is “not necessary”. Vui’s mother, Vi Thi Lan (42 years old), said that she knows that swimming there is dangerous but she can’t stop her son. “It’s summer vacation, where else can they play?” Lan said.

Many other parents in Mon Son Commune (Con Cuong) also gave similar answers when we mentioned this issue. Going to rivers, lakes, and dams to play and swim seems to be the only option for children in this area. Despite the fact that there have been many heartbreaking drowning cases.