Arresting a wife like that is against the law.

(Baonghean) - This information came to Nghe An Newspaper through a petition for help from Mr. Va Chong Ho, residing in Long Keo village, Muong Long commune, Ky Son. Nghe An Newspaper reporters went to investigate and were saddened because the incident was real and the person who organized the wife's capture was a teacher...

In the "Application for help", Mr. Va Chong Ho (born in 1962) wrote: "In February 2012, taking advantage of the time when my wife and I were working far away on the farm, Mr. Denh Ba Cai, a resident of Huoi Kha village, Huoi Tu commune, a teacher at Huoi Tu primary school, came to take my daughter Va Y Chua, who was then 14 years old (born on December 20, 1997) to be his wife. When we learned about the incident, my wife and I were very upset and intended to write a complaint, but some elders did not agree and thought that the incident had already happened, so we should keep the peace between the two families. Because I did not fully understand the law, I did not sue anymore. After nearly a year of living with Cai, Mr. Cai clearly revealed himself to be an abusive man, often beating my daughter and kicking her out of the house, when my daughter was only 15 years old...". Also in the petition, Mr. Va Chong Ho said he had requested the authorities of Ky Son district to handle Denh Ba Cai according to the provisions of the law.

Chief of Muong Long Commune Police - Mr. Xong Phai Da works with reporters.

Going up to the Muong Long Heaven Gate to find Long Keo village, although Mr. Va Chong Ho's family went to work far away on the fields, the story about Denh Ba Cai - a teacher at Huoi Tu Primary School who arrested Va Y Chua when he was only 14 years old, before finishing 9th grade, and then treated him badly, forcing Chua to return to his parents' house, is known by almost everyone.

Secretary of the Long Keo village Party cell, Mr. Va Ba Cha, said: Va Y Chua was only 14 years old at that time. That day, his parents went to work far away on the fields, Chua was at home with his younger brother when Cai came to discuss, then took him away. 3 days later, Denh Ba Cai's family came to meet Va Chong Ho's family, saying that they would hold the wedding in 3 years because if they got married right away, Denh Ba Cai would lose his job and gave him a silver bar.

At first, Va Chong Ho's family did not agree, but after many people advised them, they finally accepted the silver. After about a year, a conflict arose between Cai and Chua. One time, Chua went home to visit his family during the new rice season, Denh Ba Cai came and beat Chua. Although his relatives advised him, after a short time, the conflict continued, and Chua returned home to live with his parents.

The two families discussed and resolved the issue but failed. The Party cell and the village management board suggested that the two families resolve the issue based on their feelings, but Denh Ba Cai's family did not agree because Chua would no longer be with Cai, and demanded that Va Chong Ho's family compensate them with the silver ingot... Mr. Cha said: "Mr. Cai's act of taking a wife who is underage is against the law. Now we must deal with it according to the law...".

According to Long Keo villagers, the Mong people's custom of capturing a wife is not like what Denh Ba Cai did. Mr. Va No Sua (born in 1956) said that the Mong people's custom is that when a boy and a girl love each other and want to become husband and wife, the boy must capture the girl. If the girl does not have feelings for him, the boy absolutely cannot capture her. Once captured, 3 days later, the boy's family will bring a ceremony to ask for her hand in marriage properly. Mr. Va No Sua said: "Cai is very wrong. It is not in accordance with the Mong people's custom because Chua does not love Cai. It is also against the law because Chua is not yet a minor...".

According to the Chief of Police of Muong Long Commune - Mr. Xong Phai Da, it was not until the District Police came to investigate and verify the petition of Va Chong Ho's family that the Commune Police knew specifically about Denh Ba Cai's arrest of Va Y Chua. After that, Denh Ba Cai's family went to the Party Committee and the Commune Government to ask for mediation, but at this time, Va Chong Ho's family had submitted a petition to the District's legal agency for handling, so the Commune requested the two families to resolve the matter themselves.

Mr. Xong Phai Da said: "Since 1982, following the call of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Vu Chong Pao district, the Mong Ky Son people have abandoned the custom of wife capture. However, there are still some people who are not fully aware, so they still maintain the custom of capturing wives and bringing them home, and only registering and organizing weddings when they reach the age. Denh Ba Cai capturing Va Y Chua as his wife is a specific case, and that is against the law...". According to Va Ba Po - the permanent police officer of the commune, after returning home, Va Y Chua was sent by his parents to high school in Muong Xen town.

Returning to Muong Xen, we asked students studying at the district high school and determined that Va Y Chua was studying in class 10A at the Ky Son district continuing education center. And Y Chua said that before being arrested, Denh Ba Cai had met Chua twice. Calling Denh Ba Cai "he", Chua said: "I don't have any feelings for him. That day, there was only me and my younger brother at home, everyone went to work in the fields. He and two other young men came and said they loved me and wanted to take me as his wife. I didn't agree but I couldn't resist him so I was taken away."

According to Va Y Chua, after achieving his wish, Cai let Chua finish 9th grade and then forced him to stay home and work on the farm because "studying is useless". But only about 3 months later, Cai turned around and stopped loving Chua. Every time Chua came home late from the farm, Cai beat and scolded him, or wouldn't let him into the house... For a full year, Cai told Chua "don't get married anymore, just go back to your mother's house", which was near Tet in 2013. When Chua returned to his parents, Cai came to the house twice, each time causing trouble with Chua's parents to demand the silver back, and challenged "if you're good, just report it to the police". Thinking back on what happened, Chua felt resentful: "At that time, I was still young and didn't know anything. Thinking back now, I'm very angry...".

Listening to the story of Va Y Chua, teacher Vi Van Doan - Director of the Continuing Education Center of Ky Son district expressed his indignation: "Sometimes, in the boarding areas of high school students, there are stories of this or that student being arrested. In December 2013, the Continuing Education Center also "lost" a student because of arrest. The student that teacher Doan mentioned was a friend of Va Y Chua named Xong Y Va, class 10B, born in 1997, living in Muong Long 2 village, Muong Long commune. "The Center informed Xong Y Va's family but there was no response. Perhaps their family had to accept letting her get married. With these incidents, we request the press to promptly warn so that the authorities can intervene and prevent..." - Teacher Vi Van Doan urgently.

According to Captain Lo Van Thao - Head of the Criminal Police Department, Ky Son Police sent officers to investigate and verify the relevant parties, and even requested an expert assessment, thereby proving that Denh Ba Cai had committed the crime of having sex with children. On August 23, 2013, Ky Son District Police issued the following decisions: Decision to prosecute the criminal case "Having sex with children" No. 50; Decision to prosecute the accused No. 85 against Denh Ba Cai for the above crime. At the same time, there was Official Dispatch No. 608 sent to Ky Son People's Procuracy requesting approval of the decision to prosecute Denh Ba Cai. However, up to now, Ky Son Police have not received a response from the District People's Procuracy...". He also added that the custom of capturing underage wives of the Mong people continues to occur in Ky Son, such as in Huoi Tu commune, in addition to the case of Denh Ba Cai, there is a similar case.

Looking back at the case of Va Y Chua being taken as a wife by Denh Ba Cai, there are many things to worry about. Denh Ba Cai, born in 1991, is a teacher who violated the Law on Marriage and Family when organizing the capture of wives; violated the provisions of the Criminal Code when having sex with children, along with similar cases that representatives of relevant agencies have informed us about, showing that this custom is returning among the Mong people in Ky Son. It is thought that the authorities should not only strictly handle the subjects who capture wives but also need to have a form of handling the parents who agree to let their children get married before reaching adulthood. Local authorities at all levels also need to seriously consider to promptly prevent this situation.

Article and photos:Nhat Lan