Hanoi (VNA) - A new law on protecting andcaring for children became effective on June 1, with a variety of regulationsaiming to comprehensively intensify children’s right enforcement.

The Child Law adopted by the National Assembly onApril 5, 2016 was built to provide a legal foundation for children’s rights inVietnam and institutionalise the Party, State and Government’s guidelines andpolicies ensuring the enforcement of children’s rights in accordance with thespirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children.

It has also created a firm legal foundation toimprove the efficiency of preventing, controlling, detecting and handling childabuse.

The law provides regulations ensuring variouschildren’s entitlements, such as the right of privacy, the right to live withparents, the right to be adopted and the right to be protected from abuseincluding violence, sexual harassment, labour exploitation, abandonment andkidnapping.

Lawyer Do Thi Thao Ha from the Hanoi BarAssociation said the law has proved a progressive and appropriate response tothe nation’s current social development.

It contains a concrete clarification of theprohibition of certain acts, including the encroaching on child privacy andputting children in online dangers, Ha told the Viet Nam News.

She praised the recent issue of the Decree No 56/2017/NĐ-CP,which has helped concretise the implementation of the law.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a specialist on childprotection from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said the law hashelped demonstrate Vietnam’s commitment to the protection and care of children.

This specific provision in the decree strengthensVietnam’s commitment to safeguarding children and respecting children’s rights,including the right to privacy, enshrined in Article 16 of the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child. Also highlighted is the robust responseto the potential risks of online abuse and exploitation, Anh added.

Statistics from the UNICEF estimates that 120million girls and 73 million boys across the globe are sexually abused, and onebillion children globally experience some form of physical punishment. Asia isamong the regions worldwide to witness the highest rate of child maltreatment.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs, the country recorded about 5,300 cases of childsexual abuse in the past three years, most of them in family situations orenvironments that are familiar to the victims.

Nguyen Thi Nga, deputy director of the ministry’sChildren Department, said although the number of child abuse cases decreaseslast year, most cases turned out to be more serious and complicated.

In response to such cases, the Child Law 2016defines the responsibilities of functional agencies, particularly the localauthorities where the incidents took place, said Nga.

"Decree 56 signed by the Prime Minister inMay and made effective today will help enhance the prevention and control ofchild violence and abuse," Nga said.

The decree clearly details the responsibilities ofagencies, organisations and localities in a bid to minimise harm to thechildren and ensure that their legitimate rights are observed.-VNA