Boy beaten by father, broke 2 ribs, but 'begged mother not to send dad to jail'

The 10-year-old boy hid at the toilet gate of the motel, waited until no one was around, then ran straight to catch the bus to his grandparents' house. 'His biological father broke two ribs, but when he was at the police station, he still begged his biological mother not to send his father to jail' - the boy's mother said

» 10-year-old boy suffered from abuse and fractured bones: Stepmother presented herself to the police

After more than three days of escaping from his father and stepmother's house, Hai began to get used to normal life again. His mother and grandmother took him out for breakfast; his grandfather took him to see the city and buy toys. In the evening, the whole family took the 10-year-old boy out for hot pot. Since returning to his mother, Hai has not been able to stop eating and has praised everything as delicious. The torture and hunger of more than a year still haunts him in his sleep, even when he is lying in warm blankets with his mother.

Tran Hoai Nam reenacts child abuse.

Mother does not recognize her son

On the afternoon of December 5, after receiving a phone call from a neighbor informing her that Hai had fled to his grandparents' house in Ba Dinh district, Ms. Hang immediately went there to see her son, after a long time of losing contact with him. At this time, Hai and his grandparents were invited to the ward police station to clarify the suspicion of abuse. Tran Hoai Nam, Hai's biological father, was detained that same day and taken by the authorities to his apartment in Cau Giay district to reenact the crime scene.

Nam said his child was naughty and disobedient and needed to be "disciplined". He used an aluminum coat hanger as a whip, forcing the child to lie face down or stand against the wall to beat him. Many times, Nam used a soup ladle to hit the child on the head, and even kicked the child, breaking his ribs.

Arriving at the police station, Ms. Hang caught a glimpse of her ex-mother-in-law leading a long-haired child from outside. Hai had just been taken out to eat pho by his grandmother. At first, Ms. Hang thought it was a girl, but suddenly recognized the orange jacket she had bought for her child many years ago. She could not believe her eyes when she saw the skinny child with a disfigured face covered with new and old scars was the son she had been looking for all this time. Hai was wearing a pair of striped pajamas with broken buttons, slippers and a jacket.

"I asked him: 'Hai, is this my Hai?', he replied: 'Yes, it's me'. I couldn't believe it. He also didn't recognize me because I was so skinny and different," said Ms. Hang.

Mother and son hugged each other and cried. Not having seen their son for more than a year, every day Hang took out old photos of Hai to look at. The chubby, fair-skinned Hai was now no different from a hungry child. During the time he lived with his father and stepmother, the boy was not allowed to go out, had to do housework and cook. Hai was often starved, had to eat cold rice, raw instant noodles and sleep on the floor. He was often "beaten" with clogs, twisted metal bars or chopsticks just because he was suspected of stealing food, stealing money or being naughty.

After his parents divorced in 2014, Hai went to live with his father at his grandparents' house, while his younger sister lived with Hang's mother. Nam then married another woman and moved out, taking his son with him. Hai was brought back to reunite with his mother and sister every week until the end of August 2016.

Not seeing the grandparents bring Hai home as usual, Ms. Hang called to ask and was told that her son was traveling abroad with his father. At that time, Nam also asked for his son to take a leave from Ngoc Ha Primary School to go out. When Hai still had not come to school in the new school year, the teacher called Nam and was told that the family had transferred him to an international school.

According to Ms. Hang, Hai was actually locked at home by his father and not allowed to go to school. Nam frequently changed his place of residence, making it difficult for her to find him. Ms. Hang asked everywhere to find her son and hoped that Hai would have a good life and go to an international school as Nam said. For more than a year without going to school, Hai still kept his second grade Vietnamese book to review so he wouldn't forget the letters. When he met his mother again, he wanted to go back to school but was afraid that his friends would laugh at him because of his ugly appearance.

The first night he was allowed to sleep with his mother, Hai panicked, mumbled and held his mother’s hand tightly. Recalling that night, Ms. Hang is forever haunted and regretful.

"I couldn't sleep and thought about what my son told me at the police station. Hai said, 'It's been a long time since I've been able to sleep in a warm blanket and a soft mattress like this.' It was late that night, but he still ate two bowls of fried rice and said, 'It's so delicious, Mom.' I advised him to consider the past as a nightmare and from now on, he will no longer have to endure that miserable life," said Ms. Hang.

The next morning, she took her son to E Hospital for examination and assessment of his injuries to serve the investigation. According to Ms. Hang, Hai suffered a fractured skull and four ribs, two of which were broken. Her son's mental state was currently unstable, so she did not dare speak loudly or harshly to him, but wanted him to rest and be happy.

Hai wears the jacket his mother bought him after escaping from his father and stepmother's boarding house on December 5. Photo: NVCC.

The escape of a 10 year old boy with 6 thousand dong in his pocket

At noon on December 5, Hai was ordered by his stepmother to wipe the table. That day, Hai's stepmother cooked a pot of beef and suspected him of stealing it. Despite the beating, Hai had to admit his guilt and "took" a few chopstick hits to the face until it bled. While beating her, her stepmother threatened that when Hai's father returned home that night, he would "kill him". Fearful, Hai waited until his stepmother left the house and hid at the bathroom gate of his employer's house to hide.

Before that, Hai had tried to escape 5 times but was discovered and caught and severely beaten. During nearly two years living with his father and stepmother, Hai had collected 7 thousand dong each time he was sent to buy onions. On the day he escaped, he only had 6 thousand dong left because he lost 100 dong.

Listening to her son tell her story of his escape in broad daylight, Hang silently thanked him for his escape and those who had helped him along the way. After leaving the gate, Hai grabbed his sandals and ran barefoot out into the alley and met a motorbike taxi driver. 6,000 VND was not enough for a motorbike taxi to his grandparents' house in Hoang Hoa Tham, so the driver guided Hai to the bus stop. Short of money to pay for the bus, a kind passenger on the bus gave him an extra 2,000 VND.

Seeing a child enter the house, Hai's grandparents did not recognize their grandson. It was not until Hai introduced his full name and read out the date, month, year, and birth that they were stunned. From then on, the baby's grandmother's house was always closed, avoiding inquiries from neighbors. Hai's unexpected return surprised the people living nearby. They did not recognize the boy and could not stop gossiping.

"The whole neighborhood was shocked. The boy used to be obedient, good at studying, and adorable. Since he moved out to live with his father and stepmother, we have not seen him come back to visit his grandparents. Hai's father used to live here and was gentle, and his stepmother was beautiful and had a kind face. How could she bear to torture a child like that?", an anonymous neighbor living near Hai's grandmother's house couldn't help but wonder.

Current wish

Hai’s grandmother’s house in Phung Hung has been crowded with visitors these past few days. Ms. Hang and her mother have been taking turns receiving groups of guests, reporters, and strangers who have come to visit without even having time to eat or rest. Some have given Hai gifts, others have given him money, hoping to share some of it. Hai told his mother to keep the money safe because she was afraid that if she was locked up, she would have enough money to escape.

Ms. Hang took leave from work the day she picked up her child to take care of paperwork, assist in the investigation, and most importantly, be there to take care of her child. Hai's younger sister, a first-grader, loved him and was inseparable. The two siblings met again and chatted happily. What Ms. Hang wanted most at this moment was for whoever was guilty to be punished appropriately.

"The most painful thing for me is that my son was abused by his own father. Even though his father beat him like that, when he was at the police station, Hai still begged his mother not to send his father to jail," Ms. Hang said sadly.

Ms. Hang asked for leave from work at the hospital since her son came home.

According to ngoisao.net