Workshop promotes child protection plan

City officials, childcare volunteers and parents will receive additional training in issues related to children's protection over the next five years, according to HCM City's Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

At the workshop held yesterday, Phan Thanh Minh, head of the city's child protection office, said the rate of accidents as well as sexual and labour abuse of children was expected to fall once the public becomes more aware of childcare issues.

The city targets a 15 per cent reduction in accident and abuse cases. Officials will also review regulations and responsibilities of authorities in children protection and care as well as devise more preferential policies for officials and volunteers. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, the department's deputy head, said that the People's Committee would approve spending of more than VND11 billion (US$564,102) to pay more to officials and volunteers specialising in children protection and care.

In January this year, the city set up consulting rooms for parents and children in People's Committee's offices in three wards in Tan Phu District and two wards in District 6 to begin a pilot programme. The wards have also created clubs for children.

The city also plans to offer services to support the health of mothers and children.

The new policy has set a goal to ensure that all homeless children will be cared for and that at least 95 per cent of children suffering from a harelip or cleft palate deformity will receive free surgery.

Six police officers demoted for sex video

The Police Department in north-eastern Quang Ninh Province has demoted six police officers who appeared with two female sex workers in a video clip posted on-line.

The clip caught the police red-handed humiliating the young women with vulgar words and forcing them to stand naked in different positions for filming with a mobile phone as evidence.

The police officers involved were Hoang Ha Long, Dao Duy Long, Nguyen Thanh Tung, Tran Van Hoan, Ha Trong Huan and Nguyen Manh Hung from Cam Pha Township's Social Crimes Investigation team.

Colonel Vu Chi Thuc, deputy director of the Police Department, said inquiries were being made about who posted the clip on the internet.

Italian businesses give aid to flood victims

The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam and its members donated VND82 million (US$4,100) last week to aid flood victims in central Nghe An Province.

Chairman Tomaso Andreatta handed over relief materials to the worst-hit families in the provincial capital, Vinh.

Gifts were also presented to poor students at the city's Cua Nam 2 Primary School.

Da Nang firm closed for discharging waste water

Da Nang City's People's Committee has fined Suc Tre Co Ltd VND225 million ($11,500) for discharging untreated waste water.

Inspectors from the city's Natural Resources and Environment Department discovered the offence on Wednesday.

The company has been shut until it installs waste treatment facilities, which it must do by January 30.

Mountain families shifted after mudslide

The People's Committee from Ba To District in central Quang Ngai Province on Monday evacuated 32 families from an area where a 300-metre potential mudslide appeared.

The authorities will try and resettle them before next year's flood season.

Northern cold spell to continue for few days

Temperatures in northern Viet Nam will remain low for the next few days with fog in the morning and rain at night, the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre said.

Temperatures will range from 14 to 27 degrees Celsius.

Rain will be heaviest in the Central Highlands and south.

More Lao students now study in Vietnam

Delegations from the Vietnam National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children and the Lao National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Society carried out a survey on Lao students studying in HCM City on December 6-7.

According to statistics from 2005 – 2010, HCM City received almost 220 Laotian students. All of them from the capital Vientiane and other provinces including Champassak, Savannakhet, Louangphabang, Attapu, Xekong, and Salavan. They are studying for the economics, banking, finance and information and technology sectors. 

Training Lao students in HCM City has been carried out under the regulations on foreigners studying in Vietnam and the universities have provided accommodation and support for their studies.

Most Lao students feel happy and comfortable while studying in Vietnam, said Le Van Hoc, Vice Chairman of the NA Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children. 

However, most of the students find it difficult to learn and communicate in Vietnamese. Some members of the delegations said they should study Vietnamese for at least one year before taking up courses in Vietnam.

Exhibition on AO victims opens in France

Photo: VOV
An exhibition of photographs taken by Agent Orange/dioxin victims in Vietnam has been held in Paris for the first time.

The one-month event was co-organised by the Hope Flower Association from France together with photographer Katherine Murray and the Vietnam House in Paris. 

The children attended a photography workshop organised by Ms Katherine Murray. President of the Hope Flower Association Vu Thi Xuan Phuong said that the event has proved that if provided with support such as this training course, these children can do like professional photographers.

Ms Murray said that she was deeply moved by what Vietnamese children have to suffer as the victims of AO/dioxin sprayed by US troops during the war. Therefore, she decided to organize a training course to help these children raise their voice and to encourage thinking.

She said that she plans – together with the Association – to organize similar training courses for AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam.

ASEAN youths enjoy staying in HCM City

After visiting Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, some 329 young people from 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan, have enjoyed their four-day stay in HCM City since December 5.

The delegates have participated in cultural and sports exchanges with local youth and studied local culture, manners and customs.
Sharing his feelings, Kong Davon from Cambodia , said: “The Vietnamese people are very friendly and hospitable. When I came to stay with them, all members of the family took care of me. Despite the language difference, I felt the care through their gestures. I am particularly interested in Hue beef noodle soup.”
Meanwhile, Buama, a delegate from the Philippines, talked of the deep impressions gained during walks along the streets in the city where there are many beauty spots, wide roads and rows of old trees.
The ship, which left Japan’s Yokohama Port on November 4, is scheduled to return to the Japanese capital, Tokyo on December 8.
The programme is an initiative of the Japanese Government and receives cooperative assistance from the governments of ASEAN nations. It aims to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between young people from Japan and Southeast Asian countries, and to provide a chance for them to expand their view of the world, develop their creativity and get to know about each other’s culture.

Children’s rights given a hearing

Participants in a workshop held in Hanoi on December 7 stressed the necessity of setting up children’s voice councils at localities and organising forums and exchanges between local authorities and children to listen to their opinions and proposals.

Regarding a draft document on the participation rights of children, part of the National Action Plan for Children for the 2010-2020 period, they proposed the creation of joint programmes with the participation of relevant ministries and agencies to synchronously implement children’s rights.  

They also suggested the importance of strengthening skills training for parents, teachers and leaders, for children themselves on how to improve self-protection skills, and for social workers on their responsibilities to provide security for children.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education and Training should lessen learning programmes and encourage more children to get involve in social activities. 

Participants talked about shortcomings in the implementation of children’s rights, including the limited nature of children’s participation in social activities and the fact that their voices may not have been highly valued in their families. Also, most localities lack entertainment and recreation places for children.

As a result, delegates suggested social organisations work closely with localities to support child-related programmes.

Religion highlighted in central coastal region

The Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA) on December 7 convened a conference reviewing religious work in 12 central coastal cities and provinces.

The GCRA’s Deputy Head Pham Huy Tho asked local religious committees from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa, to closely work with agencies, departments and localities in information and communication work as well as law dissemination, creating favourable conditions for regions activities.
Representatives of these committees said religious activities have helped followers stabilize their lives and uphold the guideline of “good life, good region”.
They asked the government and the GCRA to issue new regulations regarding religion, helping religious organizations and followers improve knowledge about law and raise non-religious people’s awareness of religious practices.

Over 111,000 youths become Party members

As many as 111,526 young Vietnamese were admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam in 2010.

The figure was revealed at the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s (HCMCYU) Central Committee’s ninth meeting in Hanoi on December 6.
In the reviewed year, the HCMCYU chapters at all levels generated jobs for over 537,000 youths and set up 1,000 Internet-connected computer sites for young people in rural, mountainous and island areas.

Seminar discusses agricultural labour safety and hygiene

A national seminar was held in Can Tho city on December 7 to discuss the improvement of labour safety and hygiene conditions in the agricultural sector.

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam Farmers’ Association.

This is one of the activities under the project to strengthen capacity of agricultural safety and hygiene in Vietnam.  

At the seminar, representatives from relevant ministries, agencies and farming households shared experiences using the “Wind” method to improve working conditions for labourers in agricultural production.  

They also discussed with agricultural volunteers about using the “Wind” method to help farmers improve labour safety and hygiene conditions, and coordinating with local authorities in Thanh Hoa, Hau Giang, Can Tho and Nghe An provinces. 

Vu Nhu Van, head of the Labour Safety and Hygiene Department under the MoLISA said localities are very concerned with agricultural labour and safety conditions which has been proven by their involvement in the project.

Seminar on solutions to develop agriculture

A seminar on promoting agriculture and the rural economy will be jointly held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Can Tho Municipal People’s Committee and the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper on December 12 in Can Tho city.

The seminar will discuss solutions for accessing bank credit in agricultural and rural areas, linking farmers with scientists, entrepreneurs and banks, and the role of associations.

Other matters such as to open consumer and expand markets for farm products; minimizing risks in agricultural manufacturing; providing farmers with advanced production technology; and training for agriculture and rural development will also be discussed at the seminar. 

Agriculture plays an important role in Vietnam’s economy and is the foundation for the sustainable development of society and economy, politics, security and national defense. It also creates jobs, income and raises residents’ living standards. 

In recent years, Vietnam has created many policies to develop agriculture and rural areas, particularly related to credit. However, there have been difficulties in translating these policies into reality, and agricultural and rural development has not responded the nation’s potential.

Related departments, businesses and credit agencies should effectively implement the mechanisms and policies for agriculture and rural development, and suggest news solutions for the future.

VNN/VOV/VNS