HCM CITY — The first council composed of children in Việt Nam was established in HCM City on Thursday, aiming to help city authorities understand the needs and expectations of the city’s children.

The council includes 55 children aged nine to 16 who are outstanding students who live at open houses or attend primary and secondary school.

The council, which is part of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union of HCM City, is chaired by Mai Hải Yến of Đoàn Kết Secondary School in District 6.

Vương Thanh Liễu, the union’s vice secretary, is in charge of the head of advisory board for the association, which will gather the city’s new policies, issues and suggestions and inform the children’s council.

The council will hold two meetings each year to raise their ideas about issues and expectations.

In the first meeting, child delegates spoke about pollution, traffic congestion, flooding, entertainment parks for children, needy children, and child abuse.

Nguyễn Tuệ Lam of District 6 wanted to know more about the life of child labourers and victims of child sexual abuse.

“I hope the city’s authorities offer more care and support for these children and help them have stable lives at open houses,” she said.

Yến, head of the council, said “The authorities should launch classes on self-protection in urban areas and publish articles in newspapers to teach children how to protect themselves from child abuse.”

Tuyết Anh of District 5 said that entertainment parks should offer free entrance for needy children.

The other members said the city should launch more competitions for children to encourage them to create new apps or other technologies in various fields like agriculture that would support the community.

More field trips to historic and cultural sites should be organised to help children learn more about history and culture of the city and the country, they said.

All participants agreed that the city’s authorities should launch a website where children can write about and discuss their ideas and suggestions.

Thi Thị Tuyết Nhung, head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the HCM City People’s Council, said “The children paid a lot of attention on the city’s development and raised interesting and helpful ideas to solve the city’s problems.”

She said the children also showed compassion to needy children and wanted them to have a better life.

Marianne Oehlers of UNICEF Việt Nam’s chief programme partnerships office said the children’s council would be the best foundation for co-operation between UNICEF and the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union in solving issues related to children.

This year, the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union’s Central Committee of Việt Nam plans to establish four children’s councils in Hà Nội and the provinces of Yên Bái, Bình Định and Quảng Ninh. — VNS