Over 70 percent of children get punished at home: survey

The survey done by the General Statistics Office and UNICEF, released Wednesday, polled more than 14,000 households across the country between late 2020 and early 2021. Respondents were asked about the one-month period before the survey.

The 2014 survey had found a lower rate of punishment of 68.4 percent.

The latest survey revealed only 22.3 percent of kids did not face corporal punishment. Almost 64 percent received verbal and other non-physical punishment while 41 percent were physically punished (such as being hit).

Boys were more likely to be penalized (73 percent) than girls (68.3 percent).

The Red River Delta was kinder to children than the Mekong Delta, with 66.3 percent of kids being punished compared to 78.5 percent.

The rate of child labor was 6.6 percent, and ranged from 13 percent in the Central Highlands to 2.9 percent in the Red River Delta.

Dang Hoa Nam, head of the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the survey results are not a surprise and only represent the tip of the iceberg, and attributed the problem to the lack of knowledge about raising children.

Rana Flowers, the UNICEF chief representative in Vietnam, called on parents to control their emotions and refrain from using violence against kids since it could have lifelong consequences on kids and affect Vietnam’s target of becoming a connected society.