Limiting child drowning: Need to fill the legal "gap"

In recent years, drowning has been one of the leading causes of death for children due to injury accidents in Vietnam. The drowning death rate in Vietnam is 10 times higher than in developed countries. Talking to reporters of Dai Doan Ket Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Trong An, Deputy Director of the Department of Child Protection (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) said that one of the reasons for this situation is that there are still too many "gaps" in the law in this field.

Child drowning prevention faces many challenges. Photo: TL

PV: Could you tell us about the current situation of drowning in children?

Mr. Nguyen Trong An: In Vietnam, drowning is the leading cause of death for children. According to the monitoring results of the Ministry of Health, on average, 3,500 children and adolescents (0-18 years old) die each year from drowning. Data from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in 2009-2010 also shows that the death rate due to drowning in children accounts for the highest rate (over 50%) among children who die from injuries. The number of children who die from drowning often increases in the summer and during the annual rainy season. Drowning does not exclude any age group and the death rate due to drowning in all age groups is high.

It is known that representatives of 9 ministries and sectors have signed a commitment to implement an inter-sectoral plan on preventing child drowning, but the above figures show that the number of child drowning cases is still on the rise. Is it possible that the coordination is not effective?

- On October 19, 2009, representatives of 9 ministries and branches signed a commitment to implement the inter-sectoral plan on child drowning prevention for the period 2009-2010. After nearly 2 years of efforts to implement activities according to the 7 commitments, some positive results have been achieved. Specifically, the ministries and branches have issued documents directing localities to implement the Safe House model to prevent and combat child injuries; Policy documents related to child drowning prevention and combat have been reviewed; Activities to eliminate the risk of child drowning have been strongly implemented through the implementation of safety models and the creation of a safe environment for children in the family. After nearly 2 years of implementation, according to the report of the Ministry of Health and the Departments of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the death rate due to drowning in 10/15 key provinces has decreased. However, according to the Ministry of Health, the number of children drowning nationwide has not decreased. The reason is that the work of preventing and combating drowning in Vietnam still faces many challenges. Notably, the work of preventing and combating drowning in children faces many challenges because there are still too many "gaps" in the law.

What are the "gaps" in child drowning prevention, sir?

- Currently, Vietnam's legal documents on this field still lack provisions on penalties for acts that cause drowning in children. In addition, sanctions for acts that cause accidents and deaths in children due to drowning have not been specifically regulated. For example, recently, in many large cities, the number of children dying from drowning in water holes at construction sites has increased, but we still do not have specific regulations on how to punish them? Who is primarily responsible?

The Law on Inland Waterway Traffic was passed by the National Assembly in 2004. However, the implementation of the law in practice still has many shortcomings such as: There are still people driving vehicles at some stations without licenses or professional certificates; the quality of waterway vehicles is not guaranteed; there is a lack of safety equipment, especially life buoys; overloading... In addition, documents and policies related to regulations on child drowning prevention and control are not complete and enforcement is still limited.

According to you, to reduce the number of drowning cases in children, what specific solutions are needed?

- It is necessary to review legal documents related to drowning prevention and identify gaps that need to be completed. In particular, it is necessary to develop guidance documents and joint circulars on drowning prevention and control for children. Strengthen the enforcement of laws and regulations related to drowning prevention and control such as: Enforcement of regulations on the quality of passenger transport vehicles by waterway, regulations on licensing supervision for units, tourist sites, swimming pools, regulations requiring children to be accompanied by adults and have life jackets appropriate to their age when swimming in swimming pools, rivers, lakes, and seas. In addition, increase the implementation of swimming teaching activities for children in the community during the summer.

According to Daidoanket