A workshop was held December 3 aimed at looking for ways to boost cooperation between Vietnam, NGOs and other international institutions in providing support for bomb and mine victims.
According to a report from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' Department of Social Protection, 1,500 are killed and 2,270 injured in bomb-related accidents annually. Many of those injured live the rest of their lives with disabilities.
Bombs and mines left from the American War are displayed at a museum in Hanoi.
Speaking at the event, deputy head of the Department of Social Protection, To Duc, revealed that over 100 institutes for the disabled have been built in Vietnam. In addition, more than 700 college and more than 10,000 kindergarten teachers have been trained to teach integration skills to the disabled.
Vietnam was among the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, which was ratified by the National Assembly in November this year. This created a legal framework for policy, healthcare services and functional rehabilitation for bomb and mine victims.
The country has around 7 million people with living with disabilities, accounting for 7.8 percent of the population. A large portion of them are disabled from unexploded ordnance left over from the war.
