DECISION

Decision No. 267/QD-TTg of February 22, 2011, approving the national program on child protection in the 2011-2015 period

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 15, 2004 Law on Child Protection, Care and Education;

At the proposal of the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the national program on child protection in the 2011-2015 period, with the following principal contents:

1. Objectives of the program

a) General objectives:

To create a safe and healthy living environment in which all children are protected. To take the initiative in preventing, mitigating and eliminating risks to children, reducing the numbers of children falling in special plight, abused children and child victims of violence. To provide timely support and rehabilitation for children in special plight, abused children and child victims of violence and create opportunities for them to reintegrate themselves into the community and have equal development opportunities.

b) Specific targets:

- To reduce the rate of children in special plight to below 5.5% of the total number of children.

- To provide support and care for 80% of children in special plight to help them rehabilitate and reintegrate themselves into the community and have development opportunities.

- To identify and provide early intervention for 70% of children at risk of falling into special plight so as to mitigate and eliminate that risk.

- To establish and put into effective operation child protection service systems in 50% of provinces and centrally run cities.

2. The program’s beneficiaries, scope and duration

a) The program’s beneficiaries: Children, with priority given to children in special plight, children at risk of falling into special plight, abused children and child victims of violence. Juvenile offenders aged between full 16 and under 18.

b) The program’s scope: The program will be implemented nationwide, with priority given to localities with large numbers of children in special plight and children at risk of falling into special plight, areas inhabited by ethnic minority people and areas with socio-economic difficulties or extreme socio-economic difficulties;

c) The program’s duration: From 2011 to 2015.

3. The program’s projects (the program’s contents)

a) The project on communication, education and social mobilization (Project 1):

- The project’s objectives: To improve the awareness of, and change behaviors towards, child protection for 90% of families, schools, communities and children;

- The project’s scope: The project will be implemented nationwide, with priority given to localities with large numbers of children in special plight and children at risk of falling into special plight, areas inhabited by ethnic minority people and areas with socio-economic difficulties and extreme socio-economic difficulties;

- The project’s contents: To organize annual communication campaigns in order to draw attention and change the awareness of the entire society about child protection. To study, formulate, develop and produce communication programs and products about child protection so as to change behaviors of families, schools, communities and children towards child protection. To organize activities of community- and school-based communication about child protection with the participation of local communities, family members, teachers and children;

- Implementing agency: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Information and Communications, concerned agencies and organizations and provincial-level People’s Committees in, implementing the project.

b) The project on building the capacity of child protection and care workers, collaborators and volunteers (Project 2):

- The project’s objectives: To build the capacity to manage and organize the implementation of child protection and care programs, plans, schemes and projects for all child protection and care workers from the central to district level. To build child protection capacity for 50% of commune-level child protection and care workers and child protection and care collaborators and volunteers in villages, hamlets and population quarters;

- The project’s scope: The project will be implemented nationwide, with priority given to localities with large numbers of children in special plight and children at risk of falling into special plight, areas inhabited by ethnic minority people and areas with socio-economic difficulties or extreme socio-economic difficulties;

- The project’s contents: To carry out need assessment surveys and study and develop training programs. To organize training courses on skills of managing and organizing the implementation of child protection and care programs, plans, schemes and projects and basic skills of working with children for child protection and care workers at all levels and child protection and care collaborators and volunteers in villages, hamlets and population quarters, and examine and evaluate training results;

- Implementing agency: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, concerned agencies and organizations, and provincial-level People’s Committees in, implementing the project.

c) The project on building and developing child protection service systems (Project 3)

- The project’s objective: To build and operate in 50% of provinces and centrally run cities child protection service systems, each comprising a provincial-level executive committee and inter-disciplinary working group for child protection, a provincial-level center for child-related social affairs; district-level executive committees and inter-disciplinary working groups for child protection and child counseling offices (to be established in at least 2 districts in each province or centrally run city); commune-level child protection committees, community- and school-based counseling points and networks of child protection and care collaborators and volunteers in villages, hamlets and population areas (in all communes of the two selected districts);

- The project’s scope: The project will be implemented in 32 selected provinces and centrally run cities which represent 8 ecological regions; 2 selected districts in each of these provinces and centrally run cities and all communes, wards and townships of the selected districts;

- The project’s contents: To elaborate and issue documents to guide the establishment and operation of child protection service systems. To organize child protection services in the localities. To provide training to improve knowledge and practical skills for child protection service providers. To provide and connect child protection services such as assuring safety for children; providing counseling, consultation and psychological and physical rehabilitation therapies for children in special plight, abused children and child victims of violence; supporting children in special plight, abused children and child victims of violence to get access to educational, healthcare and other social welfare services when necessary. To improve child protection capacity and parenting skills for parents, child caretakers and communities as well as improve self-protection skills for children. To organize domestic and overseas visits to study experiences on child protection and child protection services systems;

- The project’s implementing agency: The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, concerned agencies and organizations, and provincial-level People’s Committees in, implementing the project.

d) The project on building and expanding models on community-based support for children in special plight (Project 4):

- The project’s objectives: To create access to healthcare, orthopedic, functional rehabilitation, educational and other public services for 80% of disabled children; to provide care for 90% of abandoned children and helpless orphans; to annually reduce by 10% the number of child victims of sexual molestation or violence; to intervene and provide support for all children who are detected as suffering sexual molestation or violence; to reduce the rate of street children to 7 per 10,000 children; to reduce the rate of children doing heavy or dangerous jobs or jobs exposed to toxic substances to 10 per 10,000 children; to reduce the rate of juvenile offenders to 7 per 10,000 children;

- The project’s scope: The project will be implemented in 948 selected communes in 311 districts of 63 provinces and centrally run cities (to be selected to suit each model);

- The project’s contents (comprising 4 models):

+ Models:

. The model of community-based support for abandoned children, helpless orphans and disabled children (the 1st model).

. The model of community-based support for street children, children doing heavy or dangerous jobs or jobs exposed to toxic substances (the 2nd model), to be maintained or expanded.

. The model of community-based support for child victims of sexual molestation or violence (the 3rd model), to be maintained and expanded.

. The model of juvenile delinquency prevention and community-based support for juvenile offenders (the 4th model).

+ Major activities under the models: To provide counseling, consultation and psychological rehabilitation for children; to help children get access to healthcare, educational, cultural, sports, recreational and entertainment and other social welfare services to integrate themselves into the community; to train parents and child caretakers in child protection skills; to train children in life and self-protection skills; to provide career-oriented assistance and vocational training to, and create appropriate jobs for children and their families; and to carry out some other particular activities.

- Implementing agencies:

+ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, concerned agencies and organizations, and provincial-level People’s Committees in, implementing the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd models;

+ The Ministry of Public Security shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, concerned agencies and organizations, and provincial-level People’s Committees in, implementing the 4th model.

e) The project on improving effectiveness of state management of child protection and care (Project 5):

- The project’s objectives: To review and evaluate the implementation of current regulations on child protection, care and education so as to amend and supplement them toward child friendliness and comprehensive child protection according to assigned competence or propose competent agencies to do so. To build a specialized database on child protection, care and education to serve as a basis for evaluating the implementation of laws and policies on child protection and care and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child;

- The project’s contents (comprising 3 sub-projects):

+ The sub-project on perfecting the juvenile justice system (the 1st sub-project): To amend and supplement juvenile justice laws and policies; to improve awareness about and capacity of juvenile justice for law enforcers and officers working with juvenile victims, witnesses and offenders; to develop and apply on a trial basis a justice system which is more friendly to juvenile offenders;

+ The sub-project on reviewing and evaluating the implementation of the law on child protection, care and education for making amendment or supplementation proposals (the 2nd sub-project);

+ The sub-project on building a database on child protection and care (the 3rd sub-project).

- Implementing agencies:

+ The Ministry of Justice shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy and concerned organizations and organizations in, implementing the 1st sub-project;

+ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Planning and Investment (the General Statistics Office of Vietnam) and concerned agencies and organizations in, implementing the 2nd and 3rd sub-projects.

4. Solutions for implementing the program:

- To increase the leadership, direction and inspection of Party Committees and local administrations of all levels over child protection and care work. To improve the state management capacity, perfect the system of policies and laws on child protection, care and education. To incorporate child protection and care objectives into annual central and local socio-economic development plans. To increase the inspection and evaluation of the implementation of policies and laws on child protection, care and education. To formulate a mechanism on inter-disciplinary coordination for effective child protection and care.

- To promote information, communication and education work so as to increase public awareness about and skills of child protection.

- To develop quality child protection service systems. To increase socialization and inter-disciplinary  coordination in organizing child protection activities.

- To mobilize and effectively use financial sources for the implementation of the program; to prioritize funds for localities with large numbers of children in special plight and children at risk of falling into special plight; areas inhabited by ethnic minority people and areas with socio-economic difficulties or extreme socio-economic difficulties.

- To step up scientific research and international cooperation in child protection and care. To proactively participate in and host international and regional events on child protection and care.

5. Funds for the program implementation:

- Funds for the program implementation include central and local budget funds, international assistance, funds raised from the population, communities and other lawful sources.

- The total funds for the program implementation are VND 1,755.5 billion, including:

+ VND 913.5 billion from the central budget (including VND 785.5 billion of non-business capital and VND 128 billion of development investment capital), of which VND 771.5 billion (including VND 643.5 billion of non-business capital and VND 128 billion of development investment capital) will be provided as support to localities.

+ VND 724 billion from local budgets (including VND 678 billion of non-business capital and VND 64 billion of investment development capital).

+ VND 70 billion of international assistance.

+ VND 30 billion raised from the population, communities and other lawful sources.

- The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry and Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall consult one another in determining the central budget fund for the program implementation during 2011-2015 according to the Law on State Budget.

Article 2. Organization of the program implementation

1. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women’s Union, concerned agencies and organizations and provincial-level People’s Committees in, planning and coordinating activities under the program; manage and organize the implementation of assigned projects according to current regulations; study the development of a contingent of grassroots child protection and care collaborators and volunteers; guide, inspect and summarize the program implementation for periodical reporting to the Prime Minister; and organize the final review of the program implementation by the end of 2015.

2. The Ministry of Justice shall further guide and regularly inspect the implementation of legal aid activities towards children; enhance the state management of child adoption work; and take the main charge for managing and organizing the implementation of assigned projects according to current regulations.

3. The Ministry of Public Security shall integrate the implementation of this program with the national target program on crime prevention and combat for the 2011-2015 period after it is approved; and manage and organize the implementation of assigned projects according to current regulations.

4. The Ministry of Education and Training shall direct the creation of a healthy and non-violent environment in schools; continue carrying out the emulative movement “Building friendly schools with active students”, paying special attention to training in life skills, self-protection skills and communications skills for pupils; and promote propagation and education about child protection and care for educational administrators and teachers.

5. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall further inspect and examine and strictly manage cultural products and recreation and entertainment services for children; and assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in, studying and proposing the building and development of family-based child protection service systems.

6. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and concerned ministries in, guiding other ministries, sectors, provinces and centrally run cities to elaborate annual plans on payrolls of civil servants engaged in child protection and care work and assign these payrolls after they are approved by the Prime Minister; and guide localities in arranging child protection and care workers in communes, wards and townships.

7. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs in, guiding and directing mass media agencies to increase and renovate activities of communication and education on the Party’s policy and the State’s law on child protection and care; intensify inspection and examination of information, press, publication and internet information for children and related to children; strictly punish activities of producing or publishing publications or information products containing depraved or violence-provoking contents for children.

8. The Ministry of Health shall direct the effective implementation of policies on medical examination and treatment for under-6 children, children in special plight and children of poor families; provide functional rehabilitation treatment for disabled children; and experiment the provision of some emergency medical support services for child victims of sexual molestation or violence.

9. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and concerned ministries and sectors in, raising funds from official development assistance (ODA) sources for child protection and care programs and projects; incorporate child protection, care and education objectives and targets into national annual socio-economic development plans; guide the incorporation of child protection and care objectives and targets into the elaboration and assessment of sectoral and local socio-economic strategies and plans;

10. The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning and Investment shall base themselves on the state budget capacity to allocate funds for the implementation of the program within annual budget estimates of central and local agencies according to the law on the state budget; and guide, examine and inspect the use of funds for the program implementation.

11. Vietnam News Agency, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television and other mass media agencies shall increase the time volume, number and quality of news reports on child protection, care and education.

12. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this program in their localities under the guidance of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and other functional ministries and branches; elaborate and organize the implementation of annual plans on child protection and care in conformity with this program and their local socio-economic development plans for the same period; integrate this program with other relevant programs for implementation in the localities; continue building communes and wards suitable for children; take the initiative in allocating funds and human resources for the implementation of the program; regularly inspect the implementation of the program in their localities; and make annual reports on the implementation of the program in their localities according to current regulations.

13. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women’s Union, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Communist Union and member organizations of the Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Association for Child Rights Protection and other social organizations should, within the scope of their functions and tasks, participate in the program implementation; accelerate communication and education activities so as to raise awareness about child protection and care; participate in the formulation of policies and law, perform the state management and supervise the enforcement of the law on child protection, care and education.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, heads of concerned agencies and organizations and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall implement this Decision.