Vietnam launches program to prevent and reduce child labor

Delegates participating in discussion at the workshop. Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA

This requires accelerating the implementation of activities and programs to prevent child labor.

This is the assessment made at the workshop on implementing the National Program on preventing and reducing illegal child labor for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030, organized by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in coordination with ministries, branches, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on December 1.

Child labor is a global problem. According to ILO estimates, in 2020, there were 160 million children involved in child labor and 79 million were in hazardous work. Especially in the context of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is warned that the number of child laborers worldwide will increase by 8.9 million (168.9 million) by 2022.

In Vietnam, the results of the 2018 national survey on child labor showed that there were 1,031,944 child laborers aged 5-17, accounting for 5.4% of the total number of children in this age group, lower than countries in the Asia-Pacific region (9.6%) and globally (10.6%) in 2016.

The Prime Minister has approved the National Program on Prevention and Reduction of Illegal Child Labor for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030. The program is built on the successes and lessons learned from the implementation of the Program on Prevention and Reduction of Child Labor for the 2016-2020 period. The program is chaired by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs with technical support from the ILO and UNICEF.

With a long-term vision to 2030, the program has three core objectives: preventing and detecting cases of illegal child labor, supporting and intervening for children involved in illegal labor and children at risk; raising awareness about preventing and reducing child labor; and building capacity on preventing and reducing child labor.

These efforts are a testament to Viet Nam’s commitment as a pioneer country of the Global Alliance 8.7, a multi-stakeholder partnership to eliminate child labour in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7. The programme therefore also contributes to and implements Viet Nam’s roadmap towards achieving SDG 8.7. In the current context, urgent actions are needed to mitigate the risks of increased child labour as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Illustration photo: PV/Vietnam+

Speaking at the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, requested ministries, branches, unions, localities and organizations to proactively develop plans and solutions suitable to reality to better prevent and reduce child labor.

Ms. Bharati Pflug, senior expert of the ILO, highlighted the harmful impacts of child labor, noting that child labor not only poses a reputational risk to Vietnam as an international trading partner and undermines the capacity of the country’s future workforce, but also erodes children’s rights and increases cyclical poverty.

“Vietnam has committed to international labor standards, including the elimination of child labor, as required by new-generation free trade agreements. Implementing a national program to prevent and reduce child labor will ensure that this commitment is put into practice, facilitating Vietnam’s deeper integration into the global economy; this is crucial for the country’s economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Ms. Bharati Pflug.

UNICEF Deputy Representative in Viet Nam, Ms. Lesley Miller, said that child labor can be prevented through integrated approaches that simultaneously address poverty, deprivation and inequality, improve access to social protection services, improve the quality of education and mobilize community support for respecting children's rights. In addition, the government should focus on promoting regulations on working conditions for children of working age; promoting social norms and public attitudes against child labor; and promoting the private sector and civil society to work together to eliminate child labor.

At the workshop, delegates introduced the objectives and contents of the program, and provided guidance on implementation and specific actions. The implementation of social security policy programs is promoted, in line with the National Target Program on Poverty Reduction for the period 2021-2025, which will contribute to supporting the Program on Prevention and Reduction of Child Labor.

According to Vietnam+