Hanoi Chairman directs handling of abuse case of 10-year-old boy

Mr. Nguyen Duc Chung requested that the authorities quickly conclude the case and have solutions to support the abused boy.

On December 9, the Hanoi People's Committee announced the direction of Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung regarding the case of a 10-year-old boy being abused by his biological father and stepmother in Nghia Do ward, Cau Giay district.

Assessing the seriousness of the incident, the City Chairman requested the authorities of Cau Giay district to urgently investigate, soon come to a conclusion and strictly handle the violators, and at the same time have effective solutions to support the child.

The child is currently living with his biological mother and grandparents on Phung Hung Street, Hang Ma Ward, Hoan Kiem District.

» Boy beaten by father, breaks 2 ribs, but 'begs mother not to send father to jail'

The Chairman of Hanoi has directed the authorities to soon conclude the investigation into the abuse of a 10-year-old boy. Illustrative photo: Contributor.

On December 7, the city's Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs visited the grandparents' family, gave the child 3 million VND and understood the family's needs for assistance. "The family has no specific needs for the child, including psychological therapy," the Department of Labor said.

Also on December 7, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung requested the Hanoi People's Committee to direct the city's functional agencies to promptly initiate an investigation into the case of abuse of a 10-year-old boy and provide support for the child.

Previously on December 5, after being beaten by his stepmother for “sneaking into stewed beef”, the 10-year-old boy decided to run away. At around 5 p.m., when his stepmother and father went out, the boy took 5,000 VND and ran to meet a motorbike taxi driver at the alley entrance to ask for a ride back to his grandparents’ house. Not having enough money for the motorbike taxi, the driver gave the boy an additional 2,000 VND and took him to the bus stop, helping him catch a bus to Hoang Hoa Tham street.

The boy’s mother cried when she saw her son at the police station after nearly two years apart. The boy was skinny with long hair covering his ears like a girl’s, his clothes were torn, and his face was covered with wounds.

A day later, the child’s father, Tran Hoai Nam (34 years old), was arrested by the Cau Giay District Police in Hanoi to investigate his abuse of his 10-year-old son. He confessed to using an aluminum coat hanger as a whip, forcing his son to lie face down or stand against a wall to beat him. Sometimes Nam used a soup ladle to hit his son on the head and kicked him, breaking his ribs.

The child's stepmother, Pham Thi Tu Trinh, admitted that on the afternoon of December 5, she used chopsticks to hit the child hard in the face for "stealing something". Trinh said that if she did not "discipline" her husband's stepchild, when her husband came home and found out about the incident, he would be even more harsh.

According to VNE