Listen to children with your heart, protect children with your actions.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates perform the ceremony to launch the Month of Action for Children and open the summer of 2022. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

The Month of Action for Children is launched every June, marking the beginning of a fun and rewarding summer for children across the country. This year, the activities of the Month of Action for Children focus on paying attention to children affected by COVID-19, especially those in particularly difficult circumstances, so that they have equal development opportunities like other children.

At the launching ceremony of the Month of Action for Children held on the evening of May 31, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: “Listen to children with your heart, protect children with action. Each relevant ministry, sector and locality has the responsibility to ensure that children live in a safe environment and develop physically and mentally.”

Child Welfare Index Drops Due to COVID-19

The complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic have had a profound impact on the entire society and people's lives, especially children. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a multi-dimensional impact on children, such as threatening their safety, psychology, physical and mental health, and nutrition; disrupting their learning and increasing inequality in access to quality education; affecting the care and upbringing of children; limiting their play, entertainment, social contact, and communication with friends.

An estimated 7.35 million students at all levels in 26 provinces and cities have had to study online, resulting in disruptions in the quality of education. The education of children from poor households, ethnic minorities, mountainous areas, remote areas, children in some non-public care facilities, and children with disabilities has been disrupted due to the lack of resources to maintain online learning, further increasing inequality.

Notably, according to statistics, to date, there are more than 4,300 orphans nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City and some southern provinces and cities. This is an issue that will have long-term impacts and affect the future development of children.

After a long break from school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children have been able to return to in-person learning. (Photo: VNA)

“We have seen declines in many indicators of child well-being, including those related to child health, both physical and mental health, nutrition, learning, protection from violence, access to water and sanitation, and social assistance coverage,” said Ms. Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam.

“UNICEF estimates that one in five children in Vietnam is at risk of multidimensional poverty. This is more severe in rural areas and among children from ethnic minority households,” said Rana Flowers.

More practical, stronger action

In that context, the launch of this year's Action Month for Children with the theme "Joining hands to care for, educate and protect children" is a starting point for actions to overcome the long-term impacts of the pandemic on millions of children while focusing efforts to ensure the goals of child care, education and protection by 2025 and 2030 as set out by the 13th Party Congress and the Government's Child Development Strategy.

Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung emphasized that this year's Action Month for Children is more meaningful because after many difficulties and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, children can return to school, meet their teachers and dear friends; and have a summer that promises many exciting and practical activities.

On that basis, activities in the Month of Action for Children focus on strengthening solutions to protect and care for children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; mental health care; implementing solutions to respond to and minimize the impact of natural disasters and climate change on children; health care, reducing mortality rates and stunting rates of children; and minimizing psychological trauma in children.

Minister Dao Ngoc Dung called for: “Through this Action Month, every father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and family needs to be clearly aware of their responsibility to care for, educate, and protect children, join hands to build a safe family environment, regularly care for, monitor, and ensure the safety of their children, prevent and combat violence, child abuse, injuries, and prevent child drowning. Each individual and community should speak up, actively detect, inform, report, and denounce acts of child abuse to the authorities.”

“We need to take more practical, stronger and more resolute actions so that all children can live in a safe, friendly environment, be cared for, nurtured and fully enjoy their rights,” said Minister Dao Ngoc Dung.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits children being cared for at the Thi Nghe Orphanage for Disabled Children in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

According to Ms. Rana Flowers, Vietnam needs to pay special attention to the most vulnerable children, to all children whose development has been stagnant over the past two years.

“We must urgently address mental retardation caused by poor nutrition, missed education due to school closures, missed vaccinations and worsening poverty and the silent suffering caused by increased stress, loneliness and, most often, domestic violence,” said Rana Flowers.

On the occasion of the 2022 Children's Action Month with the theme "Joining hands to care for, educate and protect children", the Prime Minister affirmed: "We must act together so that children are the first to enjoy the fruits of the country's socio-economic development. We are determined to achieve the goal of comprehensive physical and mental development of children".

According to Vietnam+