Married to a girl under 16, 23 year old husband is under investigation
16-year-old girl accused her husband of beating her, authorities discovered the wife was not old enough to get married.
On the afternoon of October 2, authorities of Tuyen Hoa district (Quang Binh) said they were working with Dinh Quoc Tuan (23 years old) to clarify the relationship between Tuan and Gam (16 years old, both living in Dong Lam village, Duc Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa).
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Duc Hoa Commune authorities believe that he has committed a criminal offence by marrying a woman under the age of 16. According to the authorities, Tuan and Gam have been living together since November 2017, when the girl was 15 years old. They now have a child together who is nearly two months old.
Ms. Gam accused Mr. Tuan of repeatedly beating her, causing injuries to her eyes, lips and ears during nearly a year of living together.
According to authorities, Ms. Gam was in 9th grade when she fell in love with Tuan and became pregnant, so she dropped out of school. The two families agreed to let them live together, and the grandparents raised the children together. "She was not old enough, so they lived together without registering their marriage," said Mr. Vo Xuan Truong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc Hoa Commune.
Article 145 of the 2015 Penal Code stipulates that the crime of having sexual intercourse or other sexual acts with a person aged 13 to under 16 years old can be punished by imprisonment from one to five years. If the crime is committed two or more times, or if the victim becomes pregnant, the punishment is from three to 10 years in prison.
* Victim's name has been changed