Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam needs to integrate drowning prevention andclimate change management programmes, Dang Hoa Nam, director of the ChildAffairs Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs(MoLISA) has said.

MoLISA statistics show that in the first five months of this year, 138 werereported to have drowned, however the actual number may be even higher.

Drowning is the leading cause of childhood deaths in Vietnam. It is estimatedthat about 2,000 children still die from drowning each year.

Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Vietnam Kidong Parkhas said progress is being made although more needs to be done.

"This issue," he says "has not yet received adequate attentionfrom the society".

Nam agrees, saying that in Vietnam, community awareness around water safety isstill limited. Many children have also not been provided with the knowledge orsafety skills needed around water. Increasing people's knowledge and skills wasthe most important measure.

“When equipped with safety knowledge and skills around water, children becomemore aware of the dangers and know how to handle situations that can causedrowning,” he said.

Many parents have sent their children to swimming lessons in the summer. But,Nam said, the awareness of a lot of people is still behind where it needs toensure water safety, in particular the need to supervise children around water.

Authorities at all levels should also directly conduct surveys of the localwater hazards. They should set up a system of signs and barriers, and assignpeople to guard high-risk areas like pools and swimming holes.

“Knowledge and skills to prevent drowning are like ‘a vaccine’ that helps Vietnamcontrol and reduce drowning, including deaths from drowning, especially inchildren,” said Nam.

Nguyen Thi Ha, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said thatover the past few years, Vietnam has built a legal framework system aroundchildhood drowning prevention and control.

Many national programmes have also been issued to implement various measures toreduce drowning among children. Most recently, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhissued Decision No 1248/QD-TTg approving a programme on preventing childhoodaccidents and injuries in the 2021-30 period. The programme aims to reduce by20 percent the number of children dying from drowning, and have 70 percent ofchildren know water safety skills and 60 percent of children know how to swimsafely by 2030.

Nam said that it was necessary to raise awareness at all levels, in particularmanagers, and have reasonable investment and budget allocation for childhoodinjury prevention and control in general and children drowning in particular.

The Department of Child Affairs estimated the total cost for a child to beequipped with the minimum skills necessary to ensure safety in the water atabout 700,000 VND (30 USD).

This cost was not too much for the provincial budget, Nam said.

In addition, it is necessary to call for contributions from society to conductuniversal swimming lessons, and popularise water safety skills.

During the pandemic children have been allowed to start their summer vacationearly. Many parents think that when children are at home, they will be safe.However, if the living environment is not safe children are still prone toaccidents, injuries and especially drowning - the most common cause of death inthe summer.

Improving skills for children and their caregivers is one of the core issuesthat needs to be addressed to control and reduce drowning.

“Attention and supervision from parents, targeted and responsible actions fromauthorities and communities at all levels will create a strong impetus toeliminate children drowning,” said Ha./.