Vietnam: Street Children at Risk Before APEC Summit
Police Roundups in Hanoi Land Children in Harsh Detention Centers
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/vietnam1106/
(New York, November 13, 2006) – Government roundup campaigns to clear Hanoi’s streets of “wanderers” and “vagrants” are landing street children in detention centers, where some are beaten and subject to other forms of abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
" Vietnamese authorities need to protect street children from abuse, not condemn them to further harm by throwing them into detention centers. "
Sophie Richardson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch is concerned that street children are particularly vulnerable to arrest now, as the Vietnamese government attempts to present its best face for this week’s meetings in Hanoi of world leaders, including US President George Bush, for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.