Pupils are growing up alongside the rapid development of technology and the digital space. The community needs to equip them in advance with knowledge, skills, resilience and reliable support so they can connect, explore and grow without giving up their safety.
Nguyễn Thuận Hải, head of Child Protection Hotline 111, said the hotline received more than 1,000 calls a day and provided counselling for 200 to 300 of them. It then connected with competent authorities and localities to support nearly ten cases involving children at risk of, or already affected by, abuse.
In the first ten months of this year, Hotline 111 intervened in and supported nearly 2,000 child abuse cases. Hải said many of those children had faced problems online.
Teaching digital safety
Senior Colonel and Dr Nguyễn Hồng Quân, deputy director of the Cybersecurity Department under the Ministry of Public Security, said child protection required a shift from dealing with consequences to prevention, early detection and timely intervention.
Digital safety education should begin at an early age, continue regularly and be adapted to each age group. It should be linked to situations pupils may genuinely encounter.
Children need to understand what is dangerous and know what to do when danger arises, including how to protect themselves, seek help and take responsibility for others’ safety, Quân said.
He said no person or organisation could act alone. Families should be places where children are heard and trusted. Schools should provide knowledge, skills and protection, while authorities, social organisations and technology companies should share responsibility for a safe digital environment.
Protecting children requires technological and legal solutions, an understanding of their psychology, the ability to recognise behavioural changes and timely coordination among families, schools and the relevant authorities.
Quân urged education managers and teachers to study and apply digital safety materials, gradually incorporating them into educational activities, pupil management and cooperation with parents.
Every school needs teachers who can identify risks, clear procedures for responding to incidents and a trustworthy environment where pupils are willing to speak about problems.
Senior Colonel, Associate Professor and Dr Nguyễn Minh Hiển, head of the Professional Affairs Faculty at the People’s Police Academy, identified three issues for teachers, parents and pupils.
The first is recognition skills. People can protect themselves only when they assess risks correctly. Daily life and the mass media help them distinguish what is real from what is fake, Hiển said.
The second is self-protection skills. Parents may have time for their children only in the evening, while teachers may have 45 or 90 minutes in class. Children have to handle the remaining gaps themselves. Adults therefore need to give them methods for developing these skills and protecting themselves.
The third is that children must not be left alone. Teachers, families and competent authorities should always be around them. School Digital Safety Ambassadors, in particular, spread knowledge and skills among their peers.
A protective shield
Hải said children could call 111 whenever they faced a problem, whether they did not know how to deal with it or knew that a friend was in trouble.
Hotline 111 operates around the clock, seven days a week. Its staff listen to children, guide them, ask whether they are safe, assess risks and determine whether they are protected.
When a child has been abused, or knows that a friend has been abused, the hotline connects the case with competent authorities. Under the Law on Children and Decree No. 56, which guides its implementation, support for an abused child has six steps. They define the duties of each agency, including verifying information, assessing risks and determining the extent of harm.
Hotline 111 connects the parties and monitors the support process for children.
Lê Anh Lan, an education specialist at UNICEF Việt Nam, said children had the right to participate in the digital environment, be heard and share their views.
When working with children, their best interests should come first, and their opinions should be respected and heard, she said. Actions should also be checked with the children to see whether they agree and whether the measures suit them. Their information must be protected and kept confidential.
Lan added that maintaining contact with and supporting children was also essential.
Associate Professor and Dr Nguyễn Như Hà, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, said the ministry listened to children when developing rules to protect them and ensure they were not left without help.
For example, regulations require schools to have counselling teams. Schools must protect children both inside and outside school grounds. Pupils’ personal information must remain strictly confidential, and any necessary disciplinary measures must be humane.
The Ministry of Education and Training has issued several circulars on protecting children in cyberspace. Their main principle is confidentiality, from the moment an incident is received until agencies coordinate a response.
The most important thing is for children to trust the system. They should be able to choose the person to whom they first report a problem. Responsible staff need the capacity to handle such information, respect and protect children’s privacy, and provide reliable support.
Digital safety cannot be the responsibility only of specialised cybersecurity forces, and it should not be remembered only after an incident. It must become part of educational culture, community responsibility and the development of informed, resilient and responsible digital citizens.
The goal is for every pupil to use the digital environment more safely, every teacher to be better able to protect pupils, and every school to be a trusted source of support both online and in real life.
Sources: Viet Nam News
