Signs of child labor

On the morning of April 24, while sitting at a coffee shop on Nguyen Quy Tan Street (Hai Duong City), I saw a young boy walking into the shop and offering to buy some small items. After some investigation, I learned that the boy had been frequently appearing at coffee shops and restaurants in the area to sell goods for many days now.

When I asked, the child seemed cautious and quiet. He said he was 8 years old, from Thanh Hoa, and still went to school. However, his story was unclear – sometimes he said he only went to school in the morning, other times he said he went to school in the afternoon. Notably, after someone gave him money, he quickly left the shop.

The act of letting such a child wander around and peddle goods on the street shows signs of violating the law on child protection and child labor.

Illegal use of child labor can result in administrative fines of up to tens of millions of dong; if there are signs of exploitation or illegal use of children, the violating individual or organization may be prosecuted under the provisions of the Penal Code.