The Government has just issued Decree No. 98/2026/ND-CP stipulating penalties for administrative violations in the field of social protection, social assistance and children.
The Decree stipulates a fine of between 300,000 VND and 40,000 VND for one of the following acts:
Providing unsafe products and services, causing harm to children; selling addictive substances, other stimulants, unsafe food, harmful to children; allowing children to use addictive substances, other stimulants, unsafe food, harmful to children.
The above fine is the fine level applied to administrative violations of individuals. The fine level for violations of regulations on the responsibility for care and nurturing of people who take care of and nurture social protection beneficiaries, elderly people, people with disabilities and children in the community applies to organizations.
The Decree clearly states that for the same administrative violation, the fine level for organizations is 2 times the fine level for individuals.
For acts violating regulations on prohibiting abuse and exploitation of children, the Decree stipulates a fine of between VND 20,000,000 and VND 30,000,000 for one of the acts of forcing children to do housework that is too much, too long, affecting learning, playing, entertainment, and adversely affecting children's development.
A fine of between 300,000 VND and 40,000 VND shall be imposed for one of the following acts that have not yet reached the level of criminal prosecution:
Organizing, forcing children to beg; renting, lending children or using children to beg; leading, inciting, instigating, seducing, inciting, inciting, taking advantage of, forcing to act as intermediaries in transactions of child exploitation activities; leading, inciting, instigating, seducing, inciting, inciting, taking advantage of, forcing children to work against the provisions of law.
A fine of between 40,000,000,000 VND and 50,000,000,000 VND shall be imposed for the act of:
Taking advantage of children's images and personal information to create content that harms the physical and mental development of children or for personal gain but not to the extent of criminal prosecution.
The Decree stipulates the maximum fine in the field of social protection, social assistance and children for individuals is 50,000,000 VND, and for organizations is 100,000,000 VND.
In which, acts of violating regulations on enjoying social assistance policies, social pension allowances, and supporting victims of human trafficking are fined from 500,000 VND to 5,000 VND.
Acts of violating regulations on supporting victims of human trafficking, people who are in the process of being identified as victims of trafficking are fined from 3,000 VND to 30,000 VND.
