Most deputies agreed on the need to change the name of the law to the Law on Children. Redefining the age of children was one of the main contents being addressed. The current law states that people under 16 are considered children. But deputies have suggested to change the definition to 18 years old.
"Children aged 16 to 18 have already passed through puberty, a very sensitive physical transformation. So they need special attention to develop both physically and mentally. We have to protect them from child labour and abuse", Pham Thi Hong Nga, National Assembly Deputy, Hanoi, said.
However, deputies also pointed out limitations on the redefinition. If children are those aged below 18 it will have implications for other laws.
"It’s not necessary that raising the age of children is necessarily good. Recent years have seen more violent cases in our schools, and moral degradation of teenagers. First we have to implement better policies to protect children under 16. Then we also have to revise related laws such as the penal code, or the marriage law", Nguyen Van Canh, National Assembly Deputy, Binh Dinh Province, said.
National Assembly deputies also discussed revisions to the law on signing, joining and implementing international treaties after 10 years of implementation. Organisations, enterprises and individuals being directly affected need to know about the treaty before being signed. On the same day, National Assembly also approved the Law on Hydro-Meteorology.
