A meeting to mark the World Day against Child Labour (June 12) was held in Hanoi on June 10 by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) with the aim of improving the public awareness on ending child labour in hazadous work in Vietnam.

MoLISA minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, ILO Director in Vietnam Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard and the Spanish ambassador to Vietnam, Fernando Curcio Ruigumez, attended the meeting.

According to ILO statistics, there are 215 million child labourers in the world, including 115 million doing hazardous work that has negative impact on their health, safety and morality.

Minister Ngan said child labour cannot be resolved overnight or with one single measure, it requires a general strategy and effort from the entire domestic and international community. There should be strict laws to punish those who mistreat and overwork children.

ILO director Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard said all children deserve to look forward to a bright future and full education as well as access to essential social services. The Vietnamese Government has listed the issue in its development plan and strategy.

Vietnam organised a variety of activities to acknowledge the day, including broadcasting reports and messages about child labour and organizing a game show on VTV. There were also drawing contests for primary and junior secondary pupils in Hanoi, Lao Cai, Ninh Binh, Quang Nam and Dong Nai provinces which are implementing projects to prevent child labour.

The meeting also launched a campaign to collect 5,000 signatures on a petition to commit to keeping 5,000 children out of hazardous work.