The first-ever art exhibition on child drowning prevention is being held at Exhibition Hall No. 45 Tràng Tiền Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội between July 23-31. — Photo of the organiser

HÀ NỘI — The first-ever art exhibition on the prevention of child drownings opened on July 23 at Exhibition Hall No. 45 Tràng Tiền Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội. 

The exhibition, entitled "Shared concerns and action”, was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids/Global Health Advocacy Incubator and the World Health Organisation.

In April 2021, the United Nations General Assembly for the first time in its history adopted a Resolution on Global Drowning and designated July 25 every year as World Drowning Prevention Day. In response to World Drowning Prevention Day 2022, the event aims to promote awareness among parents and the community about drowning accidents and effective prevention measures.

“In Việt Nam, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 15. Through this exhibition, we want to raise awareness of child drowning deaths, communicate that drowning is largely preventable and we want to talk about the importance of drowning prevention interventions. We look forward to continuing to work with the Vietnamese Government to create a safe environment for all children to grow up in,” said Yolonda Richardson, the Executive Vice President of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

The exhibition space includes a special installation made of thousands of paper butterflies called "Fragile". Each butterfly wing is a symbolic image representing children, both beautiful and fragile thus requiring attention and care anywhere, anytime from adults.

Children enjoy games at the exhibition. — Photo of the organiser

In addition, the exhibition also displays 12 paintings printed on canvas, creatively designed from the drawings of autistic children in the Tohe Fun Art Playground with the theme of safety in the environment. Each picture comes with a story stemming from real situations, helping to generate many different emotions and meaningful messages for both children and parents about drowning prevention and safety skills in the water.

The central area of ​​the exhibition is a display of information, images and figures about the impact of drowning prevention and effective interventions. It also highlights the community support of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, relevant ministries, political organisations, localities and international organisations. Information is not only displayed in the form of eye-catching designs but also combined with the display of safe means of swimming for children such as life jackets and swimming buoys.

During the exhibition period, many interesting interactive activities and knowledge games on drowning prevention and safety measures in the water environment will also be held for both children and parents when coming to the exhibition.

According to the World Health Organisation, over the past decade drowning has claimed the lives of more than 2.5 million people. It is also one of the world’s leading causes of death among children aged 5-14. More than 90 per cent of drowning cases occur in low-and middle-income countries. It is a loss for each country, for each community and family, but it also leaves a tragic, irreparable pain for the parents and relatives of the victims. In Việt Nam, drowning is one of the top ten causes of death for children aged 5 to 14. — VNS