Children spoke with officials from ministries, sectors and organisations about the prevention of child abuse and child marriage, child labour, and violence against children during a dialogue held on Saturday in Hà Nội.— Photo tuoitre.vn

HÀ NỘI — Children spoke with officials from ministries, sectors and organisations about the prevention of child abuse and child marriage, child labour, and violence against children during a dialogue held on Saturday in Hà Nội.

The dialogue was part of the four-day 5^th National Child Forum which ended on Saturday.

The forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the National Assembly, and the Việt Nam Youth Union with support from domestic and international organisations working on child protection.  

The forum attracted more than 200 children aged between nine and 16 years old from 48 provinces and cities across the country. 

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Đào Hồng Lan, said that the dialogue was the most important activity at the forum this year.

Specifically, the forum this year was held in the context of different laws and policies related to children being put into effect, she said.

“We’ll collect and submit the children’s opinions at this forum to the Government for consideration. I firmly believe that their aspirations will be met. We will listen to the children with our heart and protect them through our actions,” she said.

Speaking about right of children to participate in families, director of the Child Care and Protection Department under MoLISA, Đặng Hoa Nam, said that parents should improve their awareness on children’s rights, and put themselves in the child’s position, becoming a close friend to their children so they can better understand their needs.

The children should also improve their awareness on the issue via education, training and competitions related to children’s rights.

Children should be encouraged to contribute their opinions about policies related to children, whereas education for children should be reformed to be suitable for different groups of children, he said.

Yoshimi Nishino, acting chief representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that organisations and individuals should collaborate in preventing violence against children, as it was still a serious problem in society.

Violence against children leaves physical and emotional scars and negatively affects their development, she said.

To protect children, it is important to have a good legal framework that acts as a foundation to implement children’s rights, she said.

Lê Ngọc Thái Hà, an 8^th grader from the central province of Hà Tĩnh, said that during the forum, she and her friends learned useful information and improved their knowledge on children’s rights.

“We had the chance to meet and exchange information with friends from different areas of the country, and also had the chance to express our wishes to organisations,” she said.

During the dialogue, children put questions to officials on how to prevent discrimination between boys and girls, which measures are needed to prevent violence against children, how to deal with unexpected pregnancies or sexual abuse and children’s labour rights. — VNS