Focus on girls in world day against child labour

.With "Give girls a chance: end child labour", Viet Nam calls o­n society to protect children, give them vocational training and improve their living conditions, paying special attention to girls, to mark World Day Against Child Labour, which falls o­n June 12 this year.

But some girls protest that they need to work to help their families survive.

Sixteen year old Nguyen Phuong Thao represented children from northern Hung Yen Province at a workshop in Ha Noi o­n Sunday.

Thao said agriculture was a mainstay of Hung Yen Province and during the summer holidays, children are often hired to pick longan fruit and do other odd jobs. The money they earn is enough to pay their tuition fees, she said.

The workshop attracted many children from Ha Noi, Bac Giang and Hung Yen provinces and was held to give relevant agencies the opportunity to get the opinion of those most affected by child labour law.

Cam Dan is o­ne of poorest communes in Bac Giang Province’s Son Dong District. The commune is home to 667 households and 90 per cent of children here begin working very young.

Phan Thi Tram, 15, who is studying at the Cam Dan Secondary School, said a number of her friends had to drop out after primary school.

"They had to get married early and go home to farm because they cannot go to school, and therefore get a stable job," she said.

More than 9,000 children work as labourers in dangerous locations. Nearly 10,600 children live o­n the streets and 800 work far from home, said Nguyen Dinh Ton from the Viet Nam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights.

Head of the Child Protection and Care Department Nguyen Hai Huu said all forms of labour negatively impacting children’s health, learning or spirit must be eliminated.

"We should not prohibit them from doing work which does not impact their health and spirit," Huu said.

Chairwoman of the Viet Nam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights Tran Thi Thanh Thanh said it was necessary to eliminate all forms of child labour at coal and gold mines.

She said light work suitable to children’s health was a good way to educate their personality.

Children often begin working between 10 and 14 years old, and children from 13-14 years old often work as domestic helpers.

Homeowner Nguyen Thi Loc said she did not mind hiring a child to work as a domestic helper.

"Earning a living is his or her legitimate right, so why should we prohibit them from doing so?" she said. " The thing is we should not abuse them."

According to International Labour Organisation (ILO) statistics, there are 218 million child workers around the world, including 100 million girls. In Viet Nam, more than 26,000 children are working to earn living, according to the Ministry of Labours, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The ministry said the main causes of child labour include poverty and limited opportunities for education and vocational training.

Providing vocational training is o­ne of the most effective measures to stop child labour, Huu said.

At the workshop, girls discussed the fact that while they wanted vocational training, they found it difficult to access information.

Tai Nam in Ba Dinh District said many children could not afford to pursue vocational training over a long period of time, even when the courses are free of charge.

"Most of them are unwilling to study because they cannot earn money to help their families," he said.

Participants were told schooling would help children earn more money and decide important affairs in their families when they grew up.

Viet Nam has always paid special attention to child-related issues. The country was the first in Asia and the second in the world to join the International Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Viet Nam has also ratified two ILO conventions related to child labour, including convention 138, which focuses o­n a minimum age for employment, and Convention 182 concerning a prohibition and immediate action to eliminate the worst forms of child labour.