INL, IOM, UNICEF help Viet Nam better children protection
VGP - A three-year partnership to support Viet Nam’s government in strengthening systems to better protect children from violence, whilst effectively tackling human trafficking and migrant smuggling was announced in Ha Noi on June 14.
Participants at the announcement ceremony of a three-year partnership to support Viet Nam’s government in strengthening systems to better protect children from violence and effectively tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling, Ha Noi, Tuesday, June 14, 2022 - Photo: unicef.org
Representatives from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States Department of State, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) attended the event.
"INL and the U.S. Mission to Viet Nam are proud to work with the Vietnamese government, IOM, and UNICEF to support a new project that will seek to protect the most vulnerable and precious members of our societies. By increasing protections for children, we also safeguard the future of our nations," said INL Assistant Secretary Todd D. Robinson at the ceremony.
In 2020, the Government of Viet Nam estimated that the number of children subject to various forms of abuse, including violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, abandonment, and neglect, accounted for approximately 5 percent of the child population in Viet Nam.
Given that the global evidence confirms that children who have come into contact with the justice or welfare systems are at increased risk of trafficking and exploitation–attention to this vulnerable population is recognized as essential and urgent.
According to 2021 statistics provided by Viet Nam's Ministry of Public Security, 40 per cent of the total number of trafficked victims identified were children.
The three-year project aims to improve legal and policy framework for protection of minors in contact with the law in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international treaties to which Viet Nam is a party.
It also helps strengthen capacity of law enforcement and enhance access of children victims of abuse to timely and quality protection services.
