Behind the figures
9/6/16
One day after the International
Children's Day, a pitiful electric shock accident on Cau river in Bac Giang
province killed the lives of 5 people including 2 boys (14 and 12 year – old
boys). Two other victims has not been over the age of 16 yet.
Prior to that yet, on April 15, nine
students (grades 6-8) drowned in the Tra Khuc River of Quang Ngai and many
other heartbreaking figures...
Someone say these figures can not show
anything because in any country there is also certain percentage of mortality
rate of children with multiple reasons. From scientific point of view, there is
always percentage that we have to accept.
But as reported by the Ministry of
Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, an annual average of about 6,400 people
nationwide have drowned (in which over 50% are children and adolescents). On
average, each year there are about 3,500 children die of drowning which means
about nine children die of drowning every day.
That is just drowning accident.
According to UNICEF, in Vietnam, there are still more than 90 children under the
age of five die each day, and 50 of these children die within their first 28
days. Although the mortality rate of children in our country continues to fall,
but the important thing is that it is still high in comparison with other developed
countries in the region.
Specifically, according to a 2014
UNICEF's assessment, although it was close to achieving the Millennium
Development Goals but infant mortality rate in Vietnam remains high in
comparison with other countries in the region such as Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore.
Looking on the map of infant rate in the
world, we will see Vietnam is among the "blue", ie in everage groups
(15-20‰), lower than Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and much far from the
developed countries (under 10‰).
That shows that the protection and care
of children in our country have taken steps, however, we can do better. Some
experts said that, while in the big cities, children are well cared for then in
many rural and remote areas, this work is still limited, especially in the
stage of information and propaganda.
These numbers are not just statistics but
also show that we still have much more effort for future generations.
All comments [ 10 ]
The recent news of children drowning in some provinces has raised alarms about the severity of the problem as the hot summer months get underway.
Despite efforts to reduce the number of children drowning, the situation is still tragic.
It is sad that the rate of children who can swim in cities is lower than rural areas.
With such low rates, drowning risks are still high
Swimming is one of the most important life skills that people should be equipped with from a very young age. But I don’t think that many parents get that.
the reason for the high drowning rate is that adults’ awareness of proper child care has not improved.
Warning signs are lacking at many construction sites or dangerous ponds and holes, creating hazards for children.
Many people died when they tried to rescue others because they were not equipped with rescue techniques.
To solve this situation, provinces and cities use mobile swimming pools made from rubber or parachute fabric, depending on their financial capacity, instead of waiting for funds from the State or ministries.
It is time to raise awareness among families, schools and members of society on ways to facilitate safe environments for children.
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