Preventing child abuse: Effective coordination between sectors is needed

On the afternoon of August 21, the National Assembly's monitoring delegation led by Ms. Ngo Thi Minh - Vice Chairwoman of the Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children had a working session with the Provincial General Hospital on the implementation of policies and laws on the prevention and control of child abuse. Attending the meeting were representatives of the hospital's leadership and relevant departments and branches. Photo: Thanh Quynh

At the meeting, the representative of the Provincial General Hospital gave a quick report on the implementation of policies and laws on child abuse prevention and control in recent times. Accordingly, since 2014, the hospital has received and coordinated with relevant agencies to care for and resolve 3 cases of newborn babies abandoned immediately after birth.

Every year, medical staff participate in courses to improve their capacity and skills in counseling and treating children who have been abused or neglected. The hospital's facilities and human resources are ready for the care process, ensuring the rights of children when they come for examination and treatment.

In addition to the achievements, the hospital also faces many shortcomings in the process of approaching and caring for victims of sexual abuse when the hospital's Pediatrics and Neonatal Department was newly established, and the staff's skills and experience in preventing child abuse are still low. In particular, up to now, there has been no specific mechanism for coordination between the hospital, the health sector and the authorities to handle cases after identifying child victims of abuse.

Representatives of the provincial General Hospital reported on the implementation of policies and laws on child abuse prevention and control. Photo: Thanh Quynh

During the discussion at the meeting, members of the monitoring delegation requested the hospital to clarify issues related to the coordination between the police and medical sectors in the process of assessing and assisting child victims of sexual abuse; treatment regimens and psychological support for children after hospitalization; the role of the Social Work Department in the process of receiving child victims of abuse, etc.

Through the discussion, the representative of the Provincial General Hospital gave specific and detailed explanations for the contents mentioned by the working group. In particular, he mentioned the difficulties in the process of collecting evidence and verifying cases of abuse when the victims and their families always refuse to provide relevant information, especially victims from ethnic minority areas or remote areas.

Comrade Ngo Thi Minh concluded the working session. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Comrade Ngo Thi Minh assessed that the working session was highly effective when both sides were open to finding out the obstacles and difficulties in implementing policies and laws on preventing and combating child abuse. From here, the departments and branches have had methods to solve key issues to bring the best for children in general and abused children in particular.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children also pointed out 5 tasks in the coming time. In particular, he emphasized the need for training for medical staff in supporting, intervening and helping children who have been abused, at risk of violence, exploitation and abandonment. Media agencies need to increase propaganda to raise social awareness as well as condemn acts of violence and child abuse in a timely and effective manner. In particular, the coordination between hospitals and relevant agencies and departments in solving issues of violence against children, ethnic minority children, adopted children, etc.

It is necessary to strengthen propaganda to raise social awareness as well as condemn acts of violence and child abuse in a timely and effective manner. Illustrative photo Dinh Tuan

“Implementing policies and laws and promoting children's rights requires the participation of the whole society, in which the most important is the coordination between the health sector and relevant departments to detect early and intervene promptly to minimize the risk of child abuse,” added Ms. Ngo Thi Minh.