Vietnam PM calls for solutions for street kids
HANOI - Vietnam Premier Phan Van
Khai has called for swift action from local authorities to
tackle the growing numbers of street children in the
country, local media reported on Thursday.
Khai, speaking at a two-day conference on street
children that finished on Wednesday, said officials from
rural areas should go to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to
collect children who have migrated from their areas.
Vietnam estimates it has around 16,000 children under
16 living on the streets.
Khai added that households and communities should be
educated to stop the drift of children from the
countryside to major cities, the official English language
daily Vietnam News reported.
The paper said Khai wanted immediate action to stop
children begging, living on rubbish dumps and annoying
visitors at tourist sites.
Khai said sexual abuse of children, child labour and the
sight of children breaking the law was painful for all
society.
He proposed new measures that included stopping
adults from carrying babies while begging, preventing
children from working in mines or other hazardous jobs
and strengthening implementation of Vietnam's code that
outlaws child labour.
Children selling newspapers, postcards or chewing gum,
shining shoes, and begging are common sights in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City.
Young female teenagers hired in from the countryside
are commonly found working as domestic servants in
wealthy households in return for food and little or no
pay.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in a
statement on Thursday praised Khai's comments but
warned that increasing numbers of street children are
one of the most visible indicators of the increasing gap
between rich and poor in Vietnam.
``In light of the regional crisis, the impact of the
economic slowdown on marginalised groups such as
these will be felt even more strongly,'' the statement said.
''UNICEF is deeply concerned that the growing number
of street children is not just confined to the major cities
of Vietnam, but that the numbers of children living on the
street are now growing in rural areas as well,'' it added.
Vietnam News said the conference was told that the
government had approved a 9.2 billion dong ($661,680)
project to help tackle the problem of homeless children.
Reuters - October 08, 1998.
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