Fourteen children drowned in the country in the last two weeks of April alone.

The Department of Children Affairs said that drowning was among the top causes of death among Vietnamese children aged 5-14.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently urged ministries, agencies and localities to enhance measures to prevent child drownings and to better ensure child safety.

The Ministry of Education and Training has been instructed to boost communication and education activities to raise awareness, knowledge, and swimming and rescue skills in schools, particularly before the summer holidays; organise swimming classes and increase co-ordination between schools and families to supervise and manage students during holidays and break times to ensure safety for children.

The Ministry of Health has been asked to guide medical establishments in providing emergency treatments in case of child drownings.

Deputy Head of the Department of Children Affairs Vu Thi Kim Hoa said that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will co-operate with concerned agencies to finalise teaching documents on safety skills in water for children. Currently, the documents are being piloted in 10 cities and provinces.

"We’ve asked localities to list dangerous areas for children to swim. Warning signs and fencing must be placed in these spots,” Hoa noted.

The number of drownings among children in Vietnam has decreased by 100 annually. Around 50.3 percent of students at the country’s primary and secondary schools have been provided with drowning prevention training.

Source: Dtinews