Bo De Pagoda orphanage to be closed

Inspections of Bo De Pagoda in wake of child trafficking case

Duong Tuyet Nhung, head of the Social Protection Office under the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, answered some questions about the case and whether the case is indicative of a wider problem.

Resolution 68 states that local departments of labour, invalids and social affairs are responsible for consulting social protection facilities. How was this process carried out at Bo De Pagoda?

We had several meetings with the head monk, Thich Dam Lan, and the authorities of Long Bien District. We asked them to classify children in need. Children without clear origins and addresses would be transferred to social protection centres. We also asked Bo De Pagoda to temporarily stop taking in new children.

In 2013, you asked Bo De Pagoda to stop accepting children, but they never actually complied. Did you know about this?

Because Bo De Pagoda is a religious facility in Long Bien District, the responsibility for monitoring and management falls first to the authorities of Bo De Ward. The authorities of Long Bien District also said they assigned an official to monitor operations at the pagoda.

Facilities that care for 10 or more people are required to ask permission to establish themselves as social protection centres. Have managers of Bo De Pagoda established such a facility, and if not, why?

Long Bien District's authorities gave guidance to Bo De Pagoda concerning the necessary procedures but the pagoda has never submitted the proper paperwork. As of July 18, the pagoda was raising 106 children and 39 elderly and disabled people.

Can you tell us the result of the latest inspection at Bo De Pagoda, as well as possible solutions to the problem it raises for child trafficking?

Inspectors are officials of Long Bien People's Committee, and they haven't released any information as of yet. About the remaining children at Bo De Pagoda, we've decided to send the children whose origins are clear back to their hometowns. Those for whom we do not have an address will be sent to social protection centres in the city. We ask municipal authorities to inspect social protection facilities annually to ensure their quality.

How many social protection facilities are there in Hanoi that may be functioning like Bo De Pagoda?

Bo De Pagoda is the only religious facility in Hanoi that takes care of such large number of disadvantaged people. The Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has 11 facilities which care for a total of 3,000 individuals, including the elderly, orphans, the homeless. There are a number of private facilities as well, but Bo De Pagoda housed the highest number of disadvantaged people.