VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam will make efforts to better protect children from on-line dangers with new laws, said an official.

Illustrative image -- File photo

Dang Hoa Nam, head of the the Department of Child Protection and Care, said in a conference held in Ha Noi recently that from early next year to 2020, the country will carry out a children protection project for the internet environment.

The Department of Child Protection and Care project aims to help children take advantage of the Internet without facing any risk.

During the recent National Assembly meetings, delegates discussed three laws to protect children online. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will co-operate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to promulgate those laws to better protect children on the internet.

According to the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP), some children have already suffered from online dangers.

Recently, a 20 year-old girl from Thach That District of Ha Noi committed suicide with insecticide after she was teased by her friends when a fake photo showing her wearing a low-cut dress was posted online. Teenagers are also at risk from criminals who establish online friendships for sexual or fraudulent purposes.

The police Department for High-Tech Crime Prevention (C50) reported that it has received dozens of requests from international police to co-operate with them to investigate criminal cases related to child sex abuse since 2010.

Officer Pham Cong Hai from C50 said an increasing number of criminals used technology to deceive children. They often form groups, take part in forums to share child pornography, organise offline meetings and encourage children to join their illegal activities.

There are 45 million Internet users in Viet Nam, accounting for 48 per cent of its population. Many of them are teenagers from big cities.

A Ha Noi Department of Education and Training survey on 370,000 students showed that a majority of the students in Ha Noi went to Internet cafes one to three times a week.

VNS