VietNamNet Bridge – Women's Unions in 19 southern provinces and cities on Monday signed an agreement on the prevention of deaths due to drowning among children.

Under the agreement, they will raise public awareness and call for local authorities to take action, especially in the upcoming flood season. During the season, shelters will be set up for children in the region, especially in the Mekong Delta provinces and cities.

Children will also be taught swimming.

Tran Thanh Binh, vice chairwoman of the central committee of the Viet Nam Women's Union, said that drowning was the major reason behind deaths of children in Viet Nam.

More than 50 per cent of fatalities among children are due to drowning, four times higher than in developed countries.

The number of drowning deaths among children has increased since 2007.

An average of more than 6,000 children die from drowning each year, accounting for half of the total number of child fatalities caused by accidents.

The provinces and cities in the delta have the highest number of children dying from drowning.

The committee has been implementing a project on teaching mothers in 15 provinces and cities several ways of preventing accidents among children.

It has also held training courses on drowning and other accident prevention courses for local authorities and Women Union members.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News