Traing job center for street children
Ha Noi, Jan. 6 (VNA) -- The Ha Noi Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (DoLISA) has submitted a plan for the building of a vocational-training centre to provide vocational training and create jobs for between 300 and 350 street children to the Municipal People's Committee.
Construction of the centre, at an estimated cost of VND 4.9 billion, is expected to start this year.
The centre will teach the children rattan weaving, tailoring, carpentry, embroidery and animal husbandry.
The new centre will be an extension of the Centre for Social Assistance 4 in Ha Tay province's Ba Vi district. This centre has provided vocational training for handicapped street children. In addition, DoLISA's Centre for Social Assistance 1 in outer Dong Anh district is coordinating with a non-government health and education organizations in the U.S. to train 32 street children and orphans in such crafts as wood engraving, lacquer painting and tailoring.
Ha Noi has an estmated 5,500 street children - 71 percent of them between 15 and 18.
The children do whatever they can to earn a living but their daily income is low, with 41.2 percent of them earning less than VND 20,000 a day; 33.8 percent, VND 10,000 and 10.4 percent, VND 5,000.
The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has issued a circular listing jobs and employment conditions for children in a bid to help them earn a living.
The DoLISA also asked local businesses to employ only children older than 12 and ensure they have health certificates and their parents' permission to work.
The department's purpose is to ensure a working environment that accords regulations providing a working time of less than four hours a day or 24 hours a week, and labour contracts. Working children must be given time for education and employors must take responsibility for their child employees.--VNA
