Statistics of the Ministry of Public Security and the UNICEF showed that averagely, about 1,800 serious child violence cases are reported each year, including about 1,000 sexual abuse ones.
Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Procuracy revealed that from 2012-2015, the agency investigated 966 sexual abuse cases, mostly against children, with 826 defendants.
However, participants held that the figures have yet to reflect the real situation, as many child sexual abuse cases were not reported with different reasons.
According to Nguyen Van Tinh, deputy head of the Office for Child Protection and Care under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, unhealthy entertainment products are part of reasons behind the alarming violations and sexual abuses against children – the most vulnerable group.
Meanwhile, there remain limitations in receiving and handling of child violence and abuse cases, he said.
Nguyen Thanh Huyen, Vice Director of the Criminal Police under the municipal Public Security Department said that most child abuse cases cannot find witnesses, while the victims are not aware of the consequences.
Many victims and their families do not cooperate with authorised agencies, especially in sexual abuse cases, in fear of harm to their reputation, he said.
Dang Hoa Nam, head of the Department for Children Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, stressed the need for stricter punishments on those committing violations against children and conceal the cases.
