Nine teenagers and young people die of drowning in Vietnam every day, a senior official said on Monday.
The figure was provided by Doan Mau Diep, Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs at the ceremony held in Hanoi yesterday to launch a movement to prevent drowning among children in 2014.
Every year, more than 3,000 minors and young people drown nationwide, which means about 9 deaths per day on average, the highest rate in Southeast Asia, Diep said.
The rate is ten times higher than that in developed countries, he added.
Nguyen Hai Huu, head of the Children Protection and Care Department under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, emphasized the importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning.
The promotion of swimming teaching among children depends on the level of concern for the issue in each locality, he said.
Huu underscored that it is not essential to invest in building many swimming pools, as children can be taught to swim in lakes or pools, provided safety conditions are ensured.
A number of international organizations, including World Vision, have recently given support to the prevention of drowning among children in Vietnam, the official said.
World Vision, a U.S.-based nonprofit, has supported projects to prevent drowning in children in 15 provinces and cities.
With its support, many localities last year cut the drowning rate in children by half from 2012, Huu said.
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Đăng ký: VietNam News