The children in Viet Nam

The children in Viet Nam

 

Adolescence

© UNICEF Vietnam

Currently one third of the Vietnamese population is aged between 10 and 24 years, equivalent to 24 million people. It is predicted that in the next ten years, young people will make up the largest group in the Vietnamese population. As the country opens up to global forces, new challenges are emerging – challenges such as HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, homelessness, trafficking and abuse. Each hit young people the hardest and each is exacerbated by growing disparities in wealth.

While Viet Nam has long enjoyed the distinction of having one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in South East Asia, this is now changing. There are now more than 76,000 reported cases of HIV positive people, with seventy per cent of them under 30 years of age. As the number of reported cases rise, many young people are ill-prepared for the threat. Misconceptions still abound. While many young people know that condoms can stop the spread of HIV, overall attitudes to condom use is negative. Condom sales are forbidden in high schools and talking openly about sex is still frowned upon.

Tragically, fear of the disease often outweighs love and compassion for people living with HIV/AIDS. Discrimination is widespread. Young victims are often left in hospitals or reform schools with little care or support.

HIV/AIDS is just one of the many risks, which Viet Nam’s estimated 20,000 street children face. Although most move from rural areas to the cities in the hope of providing much-needed income for their families, as many as a quarter have run away from broken or abusive home environments.

Hieu, a 17 year old boy, is typical. During the day, he spends his time either selling newspapers or lottery tickets or shining shoes on the streets of Hanoi. In the evening though, he has the opportunity of attending one of UNICEF’s Healthy Living Clubs. “We come to the club to relax, make new friends and get a sense of belonging,” says Hieu. In this supportive environment, information can be exchanged about the risks of drug use, unprotected sex, prevention of HIV/AIDS and the daily pressures and challenges of life.

Other adolescents face a more pernicious fate. Little is known about the true scale of the trade in women and children but indications are that it is on the increase – whether to be sold as ‘wives’ across the Chinese border or to work in slave-like conditions in brothels in Cambodia or Thailand.

UNICEF is working hard to foster international cooperation to ensure an end to this most brutal of trades. For thousands of other adolescents, being young produces challenges that require compassion, understanding and support from the government as well as parents and families.

* The official UN definition of adolescent is 10-19 years and youth is 14-24 years. According to Vietnamese law, a child is under 16 years of age