The assistance of international partners and non-governmental organisations is needed to help Vietnamese victims of bombs and mines integrate into the community, especially when Viet Nam has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, heard a workshop in Ha Noi on December 3.

Illustrative image

The workshop was held to look for ways to boost cooperation between Viet Nam and development partners in providing support for bomb and mine victims, as a move to promote the rights of the disabled as committed in the convention.

Participants noted that protecting the rights of people with disabilities in general and bomb and mine victims in particular is one of the priorities of the Vietnamese Government. The country has built a legal system, implemented national programmes, and joined global initiatives to promote human rights, including those of the disabled.

Viet Nam was among the first countries to sign the convention in 2007 and the National Assembly has recently ratified it, creating a legal framework and guidance for policies and activities providing healthcare services and functional rehabilitation to bomb and mine victims, particularly those in the central part of Viet Nam.

The country has around 7 million people with disabilities, accounting for 7.8 percent of its population, many of whom are the victims of bombs and mines left over from war. Annually, about 1,530 die and 2,270 are injured due to bomb and mine accidents.