Vietnam: Alert over street children (SCMP) FWD

Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Wed, 28 Oct 1998 07:25:46 -0400 

FWD  Thu, 22 Oct 1998
From: DEBRA@OLN.comlink.apc.org (Debra Guzman)
Organization: HURINet/Human Rights Info Network


                 South China Morning Post Internet Edition
                          Friday  October 9  1998


                  VIETNAM: ALERT OVER STREET CHILDREN


   AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Hanoi

   Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has urged authorities to
   solve the "burning problem" of child homelessness on the
   streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

   Up to 16,000 children are estimated by officials to live
   on the streets, mostly in the two cities, although
   foreign social workers say the number is much higher.

   Most come from poor rural areas and are exploited into
   accepting low pay or are forced to resort to
   prostitution, begging or picking through garbage to
   support themselves in the cities.

   Speaking at a two-day national conference on street
   children, which ended on Wednesday, Mr Khai called for
   immediate measures to reduce the street children's
   numbers, including making local officials responsible for
   girls under the age of 12 and banning beggars from
   carrying babies on the streets.

   Unicef chief representative to Hanoi Rima Salah said the
   high number of street children was a relatively recent
   phenomenon which could be nipped in the bud.

   "If they act now, then we can avoid the problems of
   Brazil, Dhaka and Calcutta," Ms Salah said.

   Mr Khai said the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social
   Affairs was spending US$600,000 (HK$4.65 million) to
   tackle the problem over the next two years.

   The Prime Minister blamed the increase in child
   homelessness on weakened family networks, rural poverty
   and inadequate education in remote areas.

   Ms Salah said a commitment from the highest level of
   government to solve the problem was a good sign.

   Short-term solutions included providing more drop-in
   centres and offering flexible education and vocational
   training, she said.

   One of the biggest problems facing homeless children was
   lack of access to social services, which were only
   available to a city's registered residents, Ms Salah
   said.

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Streetkid-L Resource Page:  http://www.jbu.edu/business/sk.html
Listowner: jwalenci@acc.jbu.edu, John Brown University
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