Vietnam is always determined to protect children in accordance to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), said Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep. Diep made the statement while speaking at a conference held in Hanoi on June 7 to collect feedback for a report on the results in the implementation of CRC. Addressing the event, Diep said the Vietnamese Government has tried its best to protect children by improving its related legal system and better caring for educating children over the past years.

The country completed universal education at a junior high school level and is implementing universal education at the high school level, the official said, adding that the rate of children accessing education at the right age has increased, Diep said.  In addition, he said, the health of children is improved considerably and the mobilization and use of sources for childcare have become more effective. 

In order to best implement the country’s commitments in CRC, the Ministry has coordinated with experts, including international ones, to assess the actual capacity to care for and protect children of all of the country’s 63 provinces and cities, the official said.  Participants at the conference recognized that Vietnam has also integrated children’s rights into its legal framework and has recorded achievements in legalizing the care for children and the protection of their rights.

However, they said that a number of resources have yet been exploited and used adequately in activities to maintain and promote children’s rights.

In order to achieve better performances in the protection of children, it is necessary to setting up a joint-sector cooperation mechanism in conducting the CRC, many participants advised. 

In addition, the ministry should cooperate with other concerned agencies to provide regular training for staffs who work in the fields that are related to child protection.