Don't let children do hard work to earn money.

With the motto of action "Avoid causing harm to children"; at the same time, responding to the International Day against Child Labor (June 12), Nghe An Newspaper interviewed comrade Doan Hong Vu - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Director of the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs on this issue.

Reporter: Sir, in Vietnam in general and Nghe An in particular, there are still many children from poor and near-poor households, ethnic minority children, children from mountainous, remote, isolated, coastal and island areas who are forced to join the labor force to contribute to increasing family income and paying for education. This can lead to physical and mental harm to children. How is this situation happening in our province?

Highland children go to the forest to collect firewood to help their families. Photo courtesy of Ho Phuong

Mr. Doan Hong Vu:According to recent studies, child labor is widespread in all parts of the world; causing many children to drop out of school, suffer work-related injuries or overwork. In most cases, children do not receive education and health care, their basic rights are limited and their future is threatened. According to estimates from the Second National Child Labor Survey, there are more than 1 million children aged 5-17 participating in labor nationwide, accounting for 5.4% of the total number of children in this age group. Among the children participating in labor, more than half of them do heavy, toxic, and dangerous work. Half of the children participating in labor do not go to school, of which up to 1.4% have never been to school. Sometimes they are beaten, sexually abused, causing mental trauma, affecting their psychology for life.

In Vietnam, there are still many children who have to join the labor force to earn extra income to support their families through jobs such as selling lottery tickets, collecting scrap metal, working at shops... In Nghe An, according to reports from districts, cities and towns, there is currently no situation of children having to work illegally, however, here and there are still situations where children are having to work to help their parents increase their family income.

Reporter: Employers are aware that employing children will cause mental and physical harm to children, but they still employ them. Children do not want to do hard labor but still do it. What do you think is the reason?

Mr. Doan Hong Vu:Regarding the causes, according to research studies, child labor often originates from 3 factors: Due to poor and vulnerable families; limited awareness of some parents and families of the children themselves; especially due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to economic growth being affected, negatively impacting the jobs and income of some households, so children have to participate in labor to cope with that situation.

The reason for child labor is partly because the children themselves prefer to have money to spend, so they voluntarily look for work even though they are young.

Currently, it is easy to distinguish and intervene easily for children working in urban areas, but it is difficult to identify children working in rural areas, partly because from the parents' point of view, it is reasonable and appropriate for children to participate in labor and help with the family. Localities have not really paid close attention to propaganda and education to families and children themselves about this issue.

The 2019 Labor Code stipulates that employers are only allowed to employ people aged 13 to 15 years old to do light work according to the list prescribed by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs. When employing people under 15 years old, employers must comply with regulations such as: Must sign a written labor contract with the legal representative and must have the consent of the child; must arrange working hours that do not affect the child's study hours; ensure working conditions appropriate to the age.

PV: According to statistics, our country does not have a high rate of child labor, but the number of children working in restaurants, craft villages and on farms is still high. So, in your opinion, what solutions are needed to solve this problem?

From a young age, children in the mountains know how to do housework and heavy work such as going into the forest to collect firewood and catching fish in the stream. Photo courtesy of Ho Phuong

Mr. Doan Hong Vu:The rate of child labor in Vietnam is currently not high and is decreasing year by year. The results of the national survey on child labor show that the rate of children participating in work has decreased from 15.5% (in 2012) to 9.1% (in 2018). The rate of child labor in Vietnam is 2% lower than the average rate in the Asia-Pacific region.

In Nghe An, the Party Committees and authorities at all levels are always interested in directing this issue. The province has issued a Plan to implement the Program to prevent and reduce child labor for the periods 2016-2020, 2021-2025. Departments, branches and localities regularly inspect, review and evaluate the situation of child labor in association with effectively implementing social assistance policies; improving suitable working conditions and environments in traditional craft villages, production and business establishments; vocational education and job placement to support children and families to improve their lives, contributing to preventing and stopping the exploitation of child labor in the area. Therefore, in the first 6 months of 2023, there were no children working in violation of the law in the province.

Organizing Children's Day for children in a mountainous commune. Photo: CSCC

However, to minimize the situation of child labor, our province has proposed 5 specific groups of solutions: Implement universal education, illiteracy eradication policies and policies to ensure equal access to education for ethnic minority children, children with disabilities, children in poor households and children in other special circumstances. Strengthen social security policies, poverty reduction policies in Vietnam, in which children are priority subjects. Promote government programs and projects and cooperate with international partners such as ILO/US Department of Labor, UNICEF and other partners to improve working conditions and environment in the informal economic sector appropriately; create livelihoods for poor families; support children to access vocational education services and suitable job referrals.

Innovate communication, education, and social mobilization to raise awareness, capacity, and responsibility for preventing and reducing child labor among all levels, sectors, schools, social organizations, employers, especially parents and children. Focus on minimizing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupt learning and increase the risk of child labor in poor and near-poor households, ethnic minority children, children in mountainous, remote, isolated, coastal, and island areas.

Giving gifts to children in Hoang Mai town. Photo: CSCC

For Nghe An, immediately after the above documents and instructions on goals such as: "Month of Action for Children", "National Month of Action on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence", "World Day Against Child Labor"..., Party committees and localities have seriously grasped, directed the implementation, and widely propagated to the people about the meaning and role of child care, education and protection (including the issue of child labor); building a prosperous, progressive, happy and sustainable family; the profound human values ​​of Vietnamese families. The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs also organized practical, effective and appropriate commemorative activities according to the characteristics of each focal point to raise awareness and responsibility of Party committees, authorities and social organizations in preventing, combating and controlling the situation of accidents and injuries to children, especially drowning and traffic accidents, the right to education and protection according to the age of children; ensure children live in a safe and healthy environment to develop; prevent domestic violence.

PV: We have just launched the Month of Action for Children with the motto "Join hands to minimize harm to children", so what is the goal of this motto?

Yen Thanh district organized the launching ceremony of the Month of Action for Children 2023. Photo: CSCC

Mr. Doan Hong Vu:That is to join hands to build a safe, friendly and healthy living environment for all children; Preventing accidents and injuries for children is to ensure children's right to live; Teaching children to swim and learn safety skills in the water environment; Listening to children with the heart, protecting children with action; Communicating and promoting the National Child Protection Hotline (number 111), the Social Work Center of Nghe An province (number 1800.599.963) for all people and children to contact for free when they need support and intervention. From there, raise awareness, consciousness and responsibility of competent agencies, organizations and individuals; effectively implement policies and laws on child care, education and protection. Proactively solve children's problems, prevent and minimize the risks of child abuse, accidents and injuries, especially drowning and traffic accidents. Promote the dissemination and education of legal knowledge on child protection, skills to prevent and minimize risks of harm to children, especially for parents, teachers, caregivers and children themselves.

Organizing swimming classes for children in the summer. Photo: CSCC

PV: In addition to the activities responding to the "Month of Action for Children", it is known that the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has also taken the lead in planning to organize the "Children's Forum". So through this forum, what is our goal, sir?

Mr. Doan Hong Vu:This year, the Children's Forum will be implemented under the theme: "Children participate in building a safe, friendly and healthy living environment for children" and is expected to be held in 3 districts before June 30 and at the provincial level in July 2023, and at the national level in August 2023. At the same time, agencies, units, educational and training establishments in localities in the province are encouraged to organize Children's Forums with rich and useful content to create conditions for children to participate in building a safe, friendly and healthy living environment for themselves.

Leaders of the Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs and the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee presented gifts from the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Provincial Fatherland Front Committee to 20 children in difficult circumstances in Do Luong district at the launching ceremony of the Month of Action for Children 2023. Photo courtesy of Minh Quan

Through the Forum, children will discuss and contribute initiatives and recommendations on five topics: Children participating in preventing and combating violence and child abuse; participating in preventing and reducing injuries, drowning and traffic accidents; participating in protecting children in the online environment; participating in preventing and combating climate change, epidemics and natural disasters; participating in preventing and combating child labor in violation of the law.

The Children's Forum is an opportunity for children to have a direct dialogue with local leaders about issues that they are concerned about and have difficulties in implementing Children's Rights. Thereby, promoting children's participation rights, creating opportunities for children to exchange, learn, express their opinions and aspirations on issues of concern to them, and propose initiatives and solutions to competent authorities in developing programs, plans and projects to effectively implement the goals of the National Action Program for Children, period 2021 - 2030 in the province; at the same time, contributing to raising awareness, responsibility and actions of all levels, sectors, organizations, unions, families and the whole community in the work of protecting, caring for and educating children.

With these drastic actions, we hope to bring children a safe summer; contributing to building a safe, friendly and healthy living environment for children.

PV: Thank you for the interview!

Thanh Nga