Every child is at risk of sexual abuse, regardless of gender, age or living conditions
According to information from the National Children's Hospital, on June 22, 2025, the hospital received a 3-month-old girl and admitted her to the hospital in a state of severe bleeding in the genitals.
Through examination and consultation between many specialties such as Emergency, Urinary External, Anesthesia, Resuscitation, etc., doctors determined that the child was sexually abused.
Current reality shows that all children are at risk of sexual abuse, regardless of gender, age or living conditions. Studies show that the culprits are mostly men and most of the assaults are committed by people familiar with the victims, such as relatives, family friends, neighbors, and even relatives.
At the National Children's Hospital alone, in 2024, 66 children were admitted and treated for abuse; of which, 65.1% were physical abuse, 28.8% were sexual abuse and 6.1% were abandoned.
Dr. Cao Viet Tung - Deputy Director of the National Children's Hospital and Head of the Children's Protection Department of the Hospital said: One of the most serious problems is that when being abused, children often do not dare to recount the incident because they are afraid, self-conscious or threatened. Children often have to silently endure mental pain that lasts for many months, even many years.
In particular, acts of violence and abuse of children often leave serious consequences both physically and mentally, seriously affecting the comprehensive development of children. Many studies show that damage caused by damage can affect the brain, reducing the ability to think, learn and develop social skills.
Abused children are at high risk of problems such as long-term disability, depression, psychological disorders, difficulty communicating and establishing relationships.
In the long term, these damages not only affect children's personal lives but also cause consequences for society, from declining the quality of human resources to increasing costs in healthcare, law and social security.
Responsibility to protect children: No one's
The heartbreaking incident of a 3-month-old girl being abused by relatives once again shows that children - the future preschools of the country - need to live in a safe, loving and comprehensively protected environment. Therefore, preventing and protecting children from being abused requires synchronous, long-term solutions, with the cooperation of the community.
For families, especially parents, it is necessary to always pay attention, listen and talk to children to recognize early changes in psychology. At the same time, it is necessary to equip children with self-defense skills and basic knowledge to identify the risk of attack.
The community and society need to raise awareness of child abuse, step up propaganda, detect early and promptly speak out when seeing signs of abnormality.
When detecting children with unusual signs, especially closely bleeding, parents should quickly take their children to the nearest medical facility or the National Children's Hospital for timely intervention and support.
In addition, people can call the National Center for Child Protection 111 to report acts of violence and child abuse and receive legal advice and support.
