Government launches child protection programme for 2026–2030

Under Decision No.1415/QD-TTg, signed on July 28, the programme aims to ensure all children live in a safe and healthy environment. By 2030, every family in Vietnam with children will receive knowledge and skills on child protection, and every student will receive guidance on life skills and self-protection against abuse, violence, and child labour.

All civil servants, public employees, and those working in child protection in health and education management agencies, medical treatment facilities, social assistance facilities, educational institutions, and other relevant organisations will have their capacity enhanced in child protection, prevention of child abuse, and combating child labour.

Photo: The Ministry of Health

Under the programme, 90 per cent of businesses and service providers will receive information and training on preventing and detecting child labour. All provinces and cities will adopt integrated child protection service models, with 95 per cent of communes implementing inter-sectoral approaches and every commune setting up child-friendly investigation rooms.

The initiative also aims to reduce child violence and sexual abuse by at least 5 per cent annually; bring the child labour rate (for children aged 5–17) below 1.1 per cent; ensure all abused children and those at risk of violence, exploitation, and abandonment receive timely and appropriate support; and guarantee that 100 per cent of requests for legal assistance for children are met according to the law.

The programme requires updating, standardising, and connecting children's data with related database systems, ensuring information security and safety, and protecting children's personal data; researching and implementing IT applications in collecting, connecting, and sharing data on children at risk of violence, exploitation, abandonment, and child labour; children who have been subjected to violence; children who have been sexually abused; and child labour.

To achieve the goals, the programme identifies several key tasks and solutions, with priority given to improving the legal system, mechanisms, policies, and standards for child protection.

Accordingly, the amendments to the Law on Children and related legal regulations will be studied to align with the Party and state's policies and international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory. Simultaneously, regulations on child protection services will be developed and refined; the procedures, standards, and economic-technical norms for these services will be established; criteria for identifying child labour and children at risk of becoming child labourers will be developed; and inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms will be established to prevent and combat violence, sexual abuse, and child labour.

In addition, communication and legal education on child protection will be reformed to promote the IT application, digital transformation, and the effective use of the online environment. Awareness campaigns will be implemented tailored to different target groups, prioritising remote areas, border regions, islands, disadvantaged areas, and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

Regarding the child protection service delivery system, the programme requires research into integrating health, education, justice, legal aid, and social security services, forming a comprehensive and interconnected service delivery network to ensure that children and families have access to support quickly and effectively.

Effective operational models will be replicated nationwide, including the integrated child protection service model, the inter-sectoral child protection model, and the child-friendly investigation room model.

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