THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To ratify the 2004-2010 Program on prevention of, and solution to, the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions with the following principal contents:

1. Overall objectives: To raise the awareness and promote actions of the entire society for the work of child protection; to prevent, gradually reduce and proceed to substantially reduce by the year 2010 the number of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions, and create conditions for those children to be protected, cared for, educated and to develop allsidedly and enjoy an ever better life.

2. Specific objectives:

- To prevent the delinquency situation of children and support street children, with a view to reducing by 90% the number of those children by the year 2010, of whom 70% shall be rendered support to integrate themselves with their families.

- To prevent, gradually reduce and proceed to substantially reduce by the year 2010 the number of sexually abused children.

- To prevent and solve the situation that children have to do heavy jobs or work under noxious and hazardous conditions in order to reduce by 90% of the number of those children by the year 2010.

- To raise the managerial capability of officials engaged in child protection work, specially those of the ministries, branches and People’s Committees of all levels in charge of protecting and caring for children in special circumstances.

3. Major solutions:

a/ To strengthen the leadership of the Party Committees and the direction of the administrations of all levels in the work of child protection, prevention of, and solution to, the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions, especially in the key regions. To enhance the effective coordination between State agencies and organizations which are involved in this work.

To raise the roles and responsibilities of families and the community for protecting children, preventing and solving the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions.

b/ To build and perfect the legal system and policies, to promote socialization of the work of child protection, prevention and settlement of the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions; to link the implementation of this Program with the implementation of other relevant strategies and socio-economic programs.

c/ To intensify the social communication and mobilization with contents and forms suitable to each area, each region and each target group, aiming to help heighten the awareness and responsibilities of families, schools, population communities, State agencies, economic organizations, social organizations and all citizens in the work of child protection, prevention and settlement of the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions. To pay attention to the form of consultancy, counseling and direct persuasion of families and population communities on the skills to protect children, prevent and solve the situation of street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions. To focus communicational-educational activities in key regions and regions with difficult socio-economic conditions and target groups which still underperform their responsibilities toward children.

d/ To quantitatively and qualitatively develop services with appropriate contents and forms in support of children in special circumstances in general, and street children, sexually abused children and children subjected to heavy labor or working under noxious and hazardous conditions in particular.

e/ To intensify the inspection, supervision and assessment of the implementation of the Program’s contents.

f/ To incorporate the funding for implementation of the Program in the annual budget expenditure estimates of the Committee for Population, Families and Children. The Committee for Population, Families and Children shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the relevant ministries and branches as well as the localities in, synthesizing plans and allocating resources to the implementing units in proportion to their assigned tasks.

Besides the State budget source, the relevant ministries and branches and the localities shall take initiative in creating all conditions for mobilizing financial aids of organizations and individuals at home and abroad.

4. Schemes of the Program:

a/ The scheme on communication, mobilization and raising of managerial capability

The sponsoring agency: The Committee for Population, Families and Children.

Coordinating agencies: The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Central Committee of Vietnam Women Union, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, Vietnam Fatherland Front, Vietnam Peasants’ Association and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities.

b/ The scheme on delinquency prevention and support for street children.

The sponsoring agency: The Committee for Population, Families and Children.

Coordinating agencies: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, other relevant agencies and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities.

c/ The scheme on prevention of and solution to the situation of sexual abuse of children

The sponsoring agency: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Coordinating agencies: The Ministry of Public Security, the Committee for Population, Families and Children, the Central Committee of Vietnam Women Union, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, other relevant agencies and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities.

d/ The scheme on prevention of and solution to the situation that children are subjected to heavy labor or working in noxious and hazardous conditions.

The sponsoring agency: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Coordinating agencies: The Committee for Population, Families and Children, the Ministry of Public Security, the Central Committee of Vietnam Women Union, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, other relevant agencies and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation

1. The Committee for Population, Families and Children shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, other relevant ministries and branches and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in, organizing the implementation of the Program; work out and organize the implementation of annual plans; coordinate activities of the Program; guide, inspect, supervise, annually review and report the implementation of the Program to the Prime Minister; organize the preliminary review of the implementation of the Program in 2007 and the final review in 2010.

It shall direct and guide the formulation, and organize the implementation, of the schemes specified in Clause 4, Article 1 of this Decision according to the current regulations.

2. Under this Decision, the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall work out, and organize the implementation of, their annual action plans in line with their local socio-economic development plans in the same period, and make annual reviews of the implementation of the Program according to their assigned tasks and send reports thereon to the Committee for Population, Families and Children for reporting to the Prime Minister.

3. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has the responsibility to work out, and organize the implementation of, the schemes defined in Clause 4, Article 1 of this Decision according to the current regulations; and make annual reviews of the implementation of the Program according to its assigned tasks and send reports thereon to the Committee for Population, Families and Children for reporting to the Prime Minister.

4. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Committee for Population, Families and Children in, integrating activities of the international cooperation programs related to children with those of this Program.

5. The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Committee for Population, Families and Children in, guiding the concerned ministries and branches and the localities in using the funding sources for implementation of the Program according to the current regulations.

6. Within their respective operation scope, Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations as well as other social organizations should take part in implementing the Program.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 4.- The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government and the presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
PHAM GIA KHIEM