VZCZCXRO6044
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHHI #0504/01 0740938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150938Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4911
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 2763
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000504 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
STATE ALSO FOR DRL/AWH, G/TIP 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN SOCI PGOV PHUM VM
 
SUBJECT: STREET CHILDREN: VIETNAM'S NOT SO HIDDEN 
PROBLEM 
 
 
HANOI 00000504  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Unreliable data, allegations of periodic government 
round-ups and employment in the black market and other illegal 
sectors are prominent features of Vietnam's street children problem. 
 Although the GVN is quick to defend its record, many observers note 
that the government's slow development and implementation of 
programs aimed to care for and reduce the number of street children 
have left their care and rehabilitation mostly in the hands of 
private organizations.  Vocational training programs implemented by 
NGOs have enjoyed some success in Hanoi and other metropolitan 
areas, notably at the grassroots level.  End Summary. 
 
"A Complex Issue" 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Vietnam was notably the first country in Asia, and second 
in the world, to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights 
of the Child in 1990.  Yet, many believe that the GVN has failed in 
both its national and international responsibilities towards street 
children.  The mantra of GVN officials when discussing the issue of 
street children is "it's a complex issue," with complex origins. 
Children end up on the streets for various reasons.  According to 
the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), its 
"best guess" is that there are 23,000 street children in Vietnam, 
with 1,500 in Hanoi and almost 9,000 in Ho Chi Minh City alone.  At 
times, the numbers appear to decrease in Hanoi, but Embassy contacts 
state that the decrease is deceiving because the children have 
either been rounded-up or moved into less visible areas.  Others 
have simply migrated to other cities, our contacts note. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Contributing to the problem is human trafficking, as well 
as family pressure for children, some as young as six years' old, to 
work outside the home for financial reasons.  Often, families 
network with others in the community to send their children off to 
work.  But, according to an official with the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM), there is a "certain amount of 
deception" when it comes to the promised level of care, schooling 
and opportunity for those children entrusted to others, often 
organized criminal elements or those in the black market.  The 
children sometimes start by begging for money, but their work for 
the most part consists of selling lottery tickets, books, flowers, 
vegetables, gum or newspapers, and shining shoes.  According to IOM, 
some of these children end up being trafficked, both domestically 
and across the border.  To prevent this, UNICEF has carried out 
training programs for the Border Guard Command and worked with the 
Women's Union. 
 
"A Long History" of Round-Ups 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) In a November 2006 Human Rights Watch report, the 
organization alleged that the GVN routinely rounds up street 
children in arbitrary sweeps and places them in detention centers. 
The report detailed round-up campaigns conducted in advance of 
prominent State visits, national holidays and international 
meetings, including before the 2003 South East Asian (SEA) Games, 
2004 Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM) and, most recently, before 
the November 2006 APEC Summit in Hanoi.  The GVN vehemently denied 
HRW's report, calling it a "complete fabrication."  However, Embassy 
NGO contacts agreed that the number of detainees at these centers 
increased by as much as three times both prior to APEC and during 
other high-level events.  IOM tells us that Vietnam has "a long 
history" of rounding up "undesirables," and that all are at risk 
when a major event is coming. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Hanoi-based NGO, the Center for Studies and Applied 
Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), blames 
the round-ups on both a lack of training and a lack of communication 
within the GVN.  When directed to deal with the issue, police merely 
round up the children, and report back that their job is done:  the 
street children have been removed.  Because the detention centers 
are not part of the criminal justice system, court orders are not 
required for children and others to be rounded up and detained 
there.  According to our contacts, more often than not, once the 
children are released, they return to the streets. 
 
Rehabilitation Centers or "De Facto Jails" 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The two main government rehabilitation centers in Hanoi are 
overseen by the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs 
(DOLISA), with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) also playing a 
major role.  Opinions on the conditions at the centers vary greatly. 
 
HANOI 00000504  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 Human Rights Watch alleges that these centers do not meet the 
standards set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
Additionally, HRW claims that children detained in these centers are 
subject to "routine beatings, verbal abuse and mistreatment by 
staff."  HRW further alleges that the centers do nothing to 
rehabilitate the street children, and are in fact "de facto jails." 
(Note: The two centers are under the management of MOLISA, and also 
provide support for women and children of needy situations/in 
difficulty. End Note.) 
 
¶7.  (SBU) However, IOM staff, who have visited the centers, describe 
them as very basic and very structured.  While agreeing that the 
centers are sparse, IOM staff questioned the abuse allegations, 
opining that many of the children in the centers are simply not used 
to the rigid controls and structured days.  Our contacts note that 
many of the children detained in these centers have committed petty 
crimes, such as pick-pocketing and theft, and so are already 
resistant to authority and rules. 
 
GVN Slow to Act... 
------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Contacts from the GVN's Commission for Population, Family 
and Children, MOLISA and the Hanoi Department of Labor told Poloff 
that that, at present, there are 47 government and private 
organizations that provide different kinds of support for children 
in needy situations.  The children who receive this support are not 
only street children, but also disabled children or children with 
special family backgrounds. 
 
¶9. (SBU) However, the CSAGA Director told Poloff that the GVN "pays 
little attention" to street children.  She opined that, in Hanoi, 
the GVN does not want to help street children out of fear that not 
only will it create a magnet effect for other street children, but 
also use up financial resources on "non-Hanoians."  This sentiment 
was echoed by other Embassy contacts, who reported that an 
inter-agency disagreement over demographics and who is deserving of 
any proposed benefits has resulted in the slow implementation of 
government projects.  IOM representatives stated the GVN recognizes 
there is a problem, but is challenged by its inability to gauge the 
extent of it and how best to respond. 
 
¶10. (SBU) In addition, because social work is a new concept in 
Vietnam, health professionals are not yet adequately trained to deal 
with psychiatric issues faced by street children, nor do the 
government's existing "drop in centers" have the means to cope with 
them.  (Note:  Initially, there were 16 such centers established 
throughout Hanoi that provided: counseling on children's rights; 
referral and information on issues such as health care, education 
and vocational training; recreational activities; and advice on 
problem solving.  However, almost half of these centers have ceased 
operating.  End Note.)  Existing GVN legislation appears to 
adequately address the needs of street children, but a lack of 
enforcement and an inability to actualize the ideas behind the 
legislation remain obstacles to ensuring children receive the 
protection and rehabilitation needed. 
 
...But NGOs Stepping Up 
----------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Embassy contacts agree that street children need "living 
skills."  Training programs funded and run by NGOs, designed to help 
secure future jobs, have enjoyed great success throughout Hanoi and 
are helping to fill the gap created by a lack of official action. 
CSAGA has implemented a pilot project in Haiphong, with funding from 
the World Bank, to provide living skills to street children, who 
range from age 12 to 16.  The children receive vocational training 
in photography and art. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Citibank has helped to fund several three-month vocational 
training programs for over 132 street children in Hanoi.  The local 
NGO "Blue Dragon" also provides skills training to children, with an 
emphasis on enabling them to return to school and ensuring that they 
receive social skills.  KOTO ("Know One, Teach One"), a popular 
Hanoi restaurant, provides street children with skills they can use 
in the restaurant industry; many KOTO graduates now work in some of 
Hanoi's major hotels.  KOTO has opened up a second restaurant in 
Hanoi, with plans for more in other areas.  HCMC also has a number 
of youth centers, such as the 15 May School, that are GVN-run but 
strongly supported by NGOs and businesses, both domestic and 
foreign.  But, like in Hanoi, their capacity is well below the 
demand. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
HANOI 00000504  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) While the work done by domestic and international NGOs and 
others to protect and assist street children is significant, it is 
not enough.  Without adequate government implementation of existing 
legislation and guidelines for the rights and protection of street 
children, periodic round-ups will likely remain the sole notable 
feature of the GVN's street children policy. 
 
MARINE