Nguyen Trong An, deputy director of the Child Care and Protection Department at the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, spoke to Dai Doan Ket (Great Unity) newspaper about ending child labor. According to statistics from the ministry’s Labor Science Institute, about 25,000 Vietnamese children have to work in harsh and dangerous conditions. Many children, particularly in rural areas, are being forced to work for long and exhausting hours, which poses a threat to their health. What do you think about these figures?It’s sad to say that this is not the first time child labor has been reported. Previously, thanks to the support of child care activists and volunteers, authorities were informed about exploitation of child laborers and the authorities rescued the victims.In northern Bac Kan Province, children were found working in rock and gold mining areas and in some cases their families were forcing them to work there. They had even been chained so that they could not run away.
