(VNF) – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, has concluded a 3-day visit to Viet Nam calling on the government, civil society and all stakeholders for strong collaboration and action to eliminate violence against children.

In Viet Nam, children are particularly vulnerable to neglect, abuse and violence at the home, especially children with disabilities; to the persistence of cross-border trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and child labor; to the overuse of detention of child offenders; and to the increasing threat of online abuse.

“Violence against children also has high financial costs for society through its long-lasting impact on child development, and for the budgets of the health, social welfare and criminal justice systems. By investing in prevention we can strengthen Viet Nam’s human and social capital”, Santos Pais stressed in her meetings with the government.

During her visit Santos Pais gave a keynote speech at the opening of the 4^th ASEAN Children Forum in Ha Noi and discussed with senior government officials, civil society and other relevant stakeholders issues related to violence against children in Viet Nam. She also travelled to the city of Da Nang to visit UNICEF-supported Social Work Center where she engaged with children on their thoughts about what violence against children means, what they can do to prevent it and who can support them. She also discussed with local authorities in Da Nang and civil society about city policies and programs to strengthen the child protection and social welfare system to prevent and address violence against children.

This is the second time Mr Santos Pais has been to Vietnam and she was surprised with the commitment of govervent and civil society in efforts to eliminate violence agaisnt children.

“The recently adopted Child Law and the strong network of social workers, supported by human and financial resources can pave the way for a strong collaboration where everyone can help transform this law into action to eliminate violence against children.”, said Santos Pais.

There are an estimated 3.3 million children in need of special protection and particularly vulnerable to violence, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the total child population in Viet Nam. Countless numbers of children are vulnerable to neglect, abuse, trafficking and sexual exploitation. Children with disabilities remain particularly vulnerable and are 3 to 4 times more likely to be victims of violence, neglect and sexual abuse than their peers. Over 1.7 million are child workers, 172,500 are without parental care, 21,000 live on the street, 12,000 children are involved with the justice system, 2,381 are living with HIV/AIDS, and 1,067 use drugs./.

Ha Thuong