HÀ NỘI - The National Assembly Standing Committee came to the agreement that child abuse would be its prime focus in 2020 as part of its supervisory duties.

The National Assembly (NA) needed to raise its voice after so many cases of children being abused and mistreated made headlines in recent times, NA Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân said as the committee continued its 33rd meeting yesterday.

Despite agreeing that children's issues deserve to be looked at, Chairwoman Ngân cautioned that this area comprised a wide array of issues, so certain angles should be selected to focus on, such as judicial issues or the implementation of legal regulations on child protection.

Chairwoman of the NA's judicial committee Lê Thị Nga shared Ngân's opinion, saying the scope of supervision activities should cover the three biggest recent hot-button issues: school violence, violence against children and sexual abuse of children.

Reviewing the implementation of free trade agreements to which Việt Nam is a signatory will also be on the 2020 agenda.

NA vice chair Đỗ Bá Tỵ said the National Assembly and the NA Standing Committee would each be responsible for conducting one thematic supervision out of the two chosen options in 2020.

Other details regarding the activities, including the language and the scope of the supervision, would be fleshed out by relevant NA agencies, he said.

Seventh meeting

The seventh plenary sitting of the National Assembly will last 19 days, starting from May 20 and ending on June 13, according to NA Secretary Nguyễn Hạnh Phúc.

He said four draft laws would be discussed – the amended law on the organisation of the central government and local administrations, the amended law on civil servants, the amended law on State Audits and the amended law on intellectual property rights.

Three draft laws – the amended law on medical examination and treatment, amendments to the law on land and amendments to the investment law and law on enterprises – were withheld from the agenda as the drafters need more time to deliver finished versions.

In the May meeting, the NA Standing Committee will discuss urgent socio-economic and State budget issues and report on the handling of voters' complaints and proposals. It will also discuss other important issues to prepare for the plenary meeting.

NA vice chair Tòng Thị Phóng said that in the last interpellation session, most ministers and heads of State agencies were asked to take the stage and reply to questions from NA members on nearly every issue under their jurisdiction.

"This is obviously a necessary and useful activity, but the way we do it should be changed," Phóng said. She suggested the two-and-a-half-day run should be reduced to two days, with questions confined to certain pressing themes.

At the end of the discussion, NA chairwoman Ngân said the parliament would also need to review the law on trade unions and ask the Government to review all the laws that need to be amended or updated because Việt Nam ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Trade Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) last November.

NA Chairwoman Ngân also said she supported the use of electronic devices in gathering opinions on pressing issues that remain divisive amongst lawmakers. VNS