On the afternoon of September 7 in Hanoi, the Government Office held a regular Government press conference for August 2024 chaired by Minister and Head of the Government Office Tran Van Son.
At the press conference, reporters asked about the recent series of articles by press agencies reflecting on serious violations at the Rose Shelter in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Currently, there are many spontaneous charity shelters across the country that are not managed and tend to take advantage of them to embezzle and profit from charity money.
"May I ask if the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) is aware of this situation and has any solutions for this situation? Is there a situation of laxity on the part of local authorities? How will these subjects who impersonate volunteers and abuse children be handled?", the press asked.
Responding to this issue, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi said that the case of Hoa Hong Shelter in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City was initially identified as a case of violence and child abuse . Secondly, it was also related to the factor of taking advantage of humanitarian charity.
Immediately after reporters discovered the incident, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs coordinated with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and other agencies of Ho Chi Minh City to immediately handle the incident.
The Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs also immediately issued Official Dispatch No. 02 to Ho Chi Minh City and relevant agencies to take action.
According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Hoi, this shelter is not a spontaneous facility but is licensed to operate by District 12. When the incident occurred, the number of 86 children exceeded the licensed capacity (the license only allowed 35 children).
These 86 children have been taken to 3 public social protection facilities by the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City and District 12 to be cared for and to ensure the children's rights. 2 children have been taken home by their families.
The "Rose Shelter" facility has had its license revoked and individuals detained, legal documents consolidated for strict handling according to the law.
The law strictly prohibits charity for profit, and strictly prohibits acts of violence and abuse against children. There are many ways to handle this, from light administrative penalties to serious criminal penalties.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Hoi emphasized that the incident at "Hoa Hong Shelter" is related to management. Even though the operation exceeded capacity by over 100%, the inspectors have not been able to handle it. And this is related to lax management.
Through this incident, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will strengthen inspection and review work nationwide. In particular, the commune level must strengthen inspection at the grassroots level, the district level must strengthen inspection and review work at the district level, and the same goes for the provincial level.
"Any facility that does not have an operating license must stop. Any facility that does not meet all the criteria and conditions must urgently complete them to enhance its capacity to care for children," said Mr. Hoi.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Van Hoi emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen the proper implementation of Party and State regulations on child care and protection, especially the latest regulations of Decree No. 110/2024/ND-CP recently issued by the Government on social work.
In this, there are some groups of regulations such as volunteer activities, the State creates opportunities for organizations and individuals to help people in need but must ensure proper procedures and regulations, must not exploit, take advantage of, torture, or harm the subjects...
In addition, there are policies related to professional service establishments that must comply with criteria and conditions and must be permitted to operate.
