Children Facing New Risks: The Need for a More Effective Legal Shield

Recent incidents of school violence, child abuse, food poisoning in schools, cyberbullying, and personal data breaches have sounded an alarm regarding the increasingly complex risks facing children today. This reality creates an urgent demand to refine the legal framework and improve enforcement effectiveness to better protect children's rights and legitimate interests.

In a discussion with the press, Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong from the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Child's Rights analyzed the gaps that need filling in the legal system concerning new challenges in the digital environment, school health, and food safety. Furthermore, he pointed out the discrepancies between regulations and practice, the shortcomings in coordination mechanisms among responsible entities, and proposed solutions focused on prevention to create a safe environment for children.

Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong stated: 'While Vietnam has the 2016 Law on Children, the 2015 Penal Code (amended in 2017), the 2018 Law on Cybersecurity, and various other documents, the current issue is not a lack of laws, but a lack of connectivity between regulations and a lack of mechanisms to address new risks.' Technologies such as artificial intelligence, biometric data, and online advertising targeting children are evolving faster than the current legal frameworks can keep up.

Regarding school food safety, the expert emphasized: 'Sanctions are in place, but monitoring and proactive risk control mechanisms remain limited.' It is necessary to establish mandatory procedures for risk assessment in educational institutions, recreational areas, and the online environment, coupled with rapid response protocols upon detecting abnormal signs to timely prevent serious incidents.

To build a robust legal corridor, Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong proposed three major priorities: (1) Refining laws toward proactive prevention against digital and health risks; (2) Establishing effective inter-agency coordination mechanisms with clear individual responsibilities; (3) Investing heavily in the grassroots child protection system, developing social work teams, and school psychological counseling services.

Protecting children is not solely the responsibility of state agencies but requires the involvement of families, schools, and the community. An effective legal system must place children at the center, ensuring that all policies undergo thorough impact assessments before issuance, thereby creating a firm 'shield' for the future generation.