(VNF) - Recently, the United Nation Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Justice (MOJ) joinly held the consultation workshop on the finalization of the “Child Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism”, offering a chance for participants to understanding more about Vietnam’s legal system in the field.

The workshop

Speaking at the seminar, representatives of the Ministry of Justice said: "Recently in Vietnam, the situation of child abuse has become more complex. There are more and more foreigners coming to Vietnam for business, living, traveling and studying, some of them have been involved in child molestation. In addition, many domestic tourists took advantage of the difficult economic situation of children to use them for sexual exploitation. Protecting children from sexual abuse in the tourism industry has become an urgent issue. The government has issued many programs and policies but there is still much work to be done to protect and prevent child abuse, including sexual exploitation in tourism."

Christopher Batt, Head of UNODC's Office in Viet Nam, emphasized "Legal and judicial reform is key to the Vietnamese Government's efforts to combat child sex tourism. Current amendments in the Criminal Code as well as other relevant Vietnamese laws such as the Children's Law (2016), all aim to strengthen the legal basis for the fight against the sexual exploitation of children. However, we are not allowed to self-satisfaction. "

With the policy of international integration and national policy on tourism development, Vietnam is now the destination of many foreign tourists. In addition, along with the strong development of socio-economic life, the demand for tourism of the local population increased rapidly. This has been bringing great benefits to Vietnam, especially economic interests. However, open-door policy, the development of tourism has also brought many challenges, including issues related to the rise of crimes of child sex in general, child sex in tourism and travel in particular. The State must have strict laws and policies to ensure strict punishment and prevention of child sexual acts, as well as ensure the fulfill international obligations committed by Vietnam in protecting the rights of children./.

Ha Thuong