GrabBike driver admits to harassing 9-year-old girl with inappropriate questions.
The driver admitted to verbally sexually harassing the 9-year-old girl while transporting her to school.
On May 20th, information from the Tay Ho District Police in Hanoi indicated that, after being summoned for questioning, Grab driver Pham Van Hai (born in 1988, a local resident) admitted to verbally sexually harassing a 9-year-old girl while transporting her to school.
Specifically, during the journey, the driver, Hai, repeatedly asked the little girl "sensitive" questions.
After clarifying the actions of driver Pham Van Hai, the police allowed him to return home to continue completing the case file for processing according to the law.
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An officer from the Criminal Police Team of Tay Ho District Police said that the driver's actions violated the law, but his words were not serious enough to warrant criminal prosecution.
"We are reviewing the case file so that we can take administrative action against this driver for his behavior," the officer said.
From a legal perspective, lawyer Dang Van Cuong (Hanoi Bar Association) stated that the law does not yet define verbal sexual harassment as an act of obscenity; therefore, criminal prosecution for this act is unlikely.
In the case of this Grab driver, lawyer Cuong stated that he used language that was inappropriate and violated ethical and cultural norms, causing psychological, physical, and emotional harm to the child... The driver's actions show signs of child abuse.
Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the driver may be subject to administrative penalties as stipulated in Article 5 of Decree 167/2013/ND-CP, which regulates administrative penalties in the fields of security, order, social safety, prevention of social evils, fire prevention and fighting; and prevention and control of domestic violence.
Specifically, a warning or a fine of 100,000-300,000 VND will be imposed for any of the following: rude gestures or words, provocation, teasing, or insulting the honor and dignity of others.
Lawyer Cuong argued that a fine of no more than 300,000 VND for this offense is too low, while the psychological harm inflicted on children is immeasurable.
