A safe environment for children.

(Baonghean)Summer is the time when children are on school break, and it is also the time when accidents and injuries are most likely to occur. However, thanks to the efforts of families, various levels of government, and local authorities, the rate of child accidents and injuries has recently shown a downward trend. Nevertheless, to ensure a safe and healthy environment and sustainably reduce accidents and injuries for children (especially during the summer), the cooperation of the entire community is needed.

The Youth Union of Tan An commune (Tan Ky district) is opening swimming classes for children.

Risk of injury

The summer months are always overloaded for the Orthopedics and Trauma Department at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. The department has 20 beds, but at peak times, there are over 50 patients admitted for treatment; 2-3 patients have to share a single bed. For Nguyen Dinh Long (11 years old), from Nghi Hoa, Nghi Loc, the summer break is spent recovering from severe burns. His mother, Nguyen Thi Dung, said: “My parents were working in the fields when someone called to tell us that our son had been burned. Later, he told us that he and his friends were roasting potatoes, and because it was sunny and windy, the fire caught on him, burning his clothes and causing severe burns.” Vo Van Duc (14 years old), also from Nghi Loc, is still reeling from the accident, occasionally suffering from headaches due to a concussion. Lying next to his bed is his 11-year-old sister, who also suffered serious injuries, including a ruptured pancreas and brain hematoma. The accident occurred when the children took their family's motorbike on their own to go out for fun. Mr. Vo Van Lam (Duc's father) admitted: "It was also due to the parents' carelessness that our child had this accident. This is summer vacation, so it's very difficult to control all of the children's behavior."

Speaking with us, Dr. Thai Van Binh – Head of the Trauma and Orthopedics Department at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital – said: “The number of childhood injuries usually increases during the summer holidays. The majority are burns, brain injuries, broken legs and arms… many cases leave lifelong disabilities, affecting the health and psychological development of children. Most cases admitted to the hospital due to injuries come from rural and mountainous areas. And it can be seen that most of these heartbreaking childhood injuries stem from the carelessness and lack of knowledge of adults.”

Among the causes of injuries, drowning is the leading cause of death in children. According to statistics from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, from the beginning of the year until now, there have been 11 cases of child deaths due to drowning, out of a total of 266 cases of injuries. Besides the limited public awareness of preventing injuries to children, there are also objective reasons such as: the difficult socio-economic conditions of our province, the large geographical area, the large population, and the unsafe living conditions and environment, which make injuries to children more likely to occur. On the other hand, there is a shortage of places for children to play and socialize, especially in rural and mountainous areas. Currently, there are 400 sports fields in 480 communes and wards throughout the province, but only 170 of them meet regulations; there are nearly 5,900 sports fields in villages, hamlets, and residential areas. However, these playgrounds are linked to grassroots cultural institutions; they serve as places for recreation and the organization of shared cultural activities for the entire locality. No locality has a playground specifically planned and designated for children and teenagers.

For a safe environment for children.

Although the number of child injuries in our province remains high, it can be seen that this number has decreased significantly compared to previous years. From 2013, the province recorded 1,365 cases of child injuries, but in the first six months of this year, this number has decreased to 266 cases. Nghe An is no longer a national hotspot for child deaths due to drowning accidents as in previous years (77 cases in 2013, and only 11 cases in the first six months of this year).

To achieve these positive results, the district has focused on building child-friendly commune and ward models. Quynh Thach commune (Quynh Luu district) is one of the communes selected as a pilot site for the "Safe Home" model in the entire district in 2012. Located in a lowland area with many ponds and lakes of varying sizes, and home to over 15,000 children under the age of 16, Quynh Thach has nevertheless not experienced any child injuries or accidents in recent years. Mr. Cao Trong Chinh, a policy officer in the commune, said: “We regularly broadcast messages on the commune's radio station; we hang banners and slogans promoting a safe environment for children. Especially during the summer, we coordinate with various organizations to conduct direct awareness campaigns and distribute leaflets providing people with knowledge on preventing accidents and injuries to children, such as how to properly store flammable and explosive materials in the home like gas, gasoline, and electricity; and how to prevent children from coming into contact with sharp or easily swallowed objects… Thanks to this, the entire commune has now built more than 200 “Safe Home” models, contributing to the prevention of accidents and injuries to children.”

“In addition to promoting awareness campaigns to create a safe living environment for children and prevent accidents and injuries, in 2014, the District Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs allocated 240 million VND to purchase teaching and learning materials for preschool students. Furthermore, we will coordinate with the District Sports Center to open two swimming classes for children this summer (with a particular focus on children in communes with many ponds and lakes),” said Mr. Duong Danh Hoa, Head of the District Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Quynh Luu District.

The declining trend in the number of injuries among children across the province is a positive sign and a result of the concerted efforts of local authorities in implementing comprehensive measures over the past period. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi My Luong – Deputy Head of the Child Protection and Care Department – ​​Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of the province: “In recent years, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has always focused on promoting propaganda activities: thousands of documents on accident and injury prevention have been distributed to all communes, wards, and towns throughout the province. The Department has also directed and guided the construction of pilot models of “Safe Houses” for child accident and injury prevention in 17 communes in the districts of Thanh Chuong, Quynh Luu, Anh Son, Nghia Dan, Que Phong, Cua Lo town, Hung Nguyen, Tuong Duong, Quy Chau, Yen Thanh, Ky Son, Tan Ky, Thai Hoa town, Do Luong, Dien Chau, Nam Dan, and Con Cuong. In addition, the Department has organized training courses to improve the capacity of child accident and injury prevention for the child protection and care staff of the districts, the Steering Committee for building the “Safe House” model, and the team of collaborators working on child protection and care in the pilot communes.”

Furthermore, youth organizations have actively participated in implementing measures to build a safe environment for children. From the beginning of summer, the Provincial Youth Union issued directives to local youth organizations on preventing drowning and injuries among young people; aiming to strengthen awareness campaigns and place warning signs in areas prone to accidents. The Provincial Youth Union directed pilot programs in Nam Dan and Tan Ky districts to open free swimming classes for children. For example, in Tan An commune (Tan Ky district), the Youth Union, in coordination with the commune's Culture Committee, organized swimming classes for children during the summer. In addition to the swimming classes in Tan An commune, this summer, the Tan Ky District Youth Union also opened swimming classes for children in the town; it is expected that more than 100 children will be taught swimming skills and drowning prevention. In addition, to create beneficial recreational activities for children, the district youth union also implemented various summer activities in the communes, such as cultural performances, football tournaments, and Scout ceremony training.

To ensure children have a safe and healthy living environment, and to sustainably reduce injuries among children, the joint efforts of each family, especially parents, are essential, followed by the community. Only then can we mobilize resources to effectively implement child injury prevention measures, aiming to build models of "Safe Homes," "Safe Schools," and "Safe Communities" for children.

Dinh Nguyet