First of all, there is the surprising and quite rare factor, when in the same incident, the Dong Hoi city authorities issued 2 different administrative penalty documents with different fine amounts and informed the press at 2 different times.
The first was a document fining the wife 7.5 million VND for insulting her husband. Before the public could stop being “happy”, news emerged that the husband had also been fined, with a higher fine of 12 million VND for two acts of beating and insulting his wife.
So the whole family pays the budget!
Domestic violence, both sides abusing each other physically and verbally, "one is eight ounces the other is half a pound", as just happened in Quang Binh is not an uncommon thing in Vietnam.
Even the rate of male victims of domestic violence is currently increasing - as reported by Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung at the recent National Assembly session in May.
Also in this report, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung cited data from 2023, stating that the total number of people committing domestic violence in the year was 3,208, of which 531 were women, accounting for 16.6%.
Many people were also surprised by the news that Dong Hoi city decided to punish a couple who insulted and fought.
In fact, the penalty is stipulated in the Government's decree on administrative penalties in the fields of security, order, and social safety; prevention of social evils; fire prevention, fire fighting, rescue; and prevention and control of domestic violence.
And punishment is just one of many measures to deal with domestic violence, including: criminal prosecution; banning contact; applying educational measures in the commune/ward/town; giving comments and criticism in the community...
It's just that people, especially "social cells" are still not familiar with the form of punishment. And in reality, the punishment - as reported by Minister Dao Ngoc Dung - nationwide in 2023, there were only 288 cases/3,208 people who committed violence against their "spouses" and children.
In many cases, when the "home" becomes an "arena of violence", the local government is the last "lifeline" for people to seek protection.
Punishment is a good and civilized solution, with high deterrence, demonstrating strictness in protecting human dignity, honor and safety of family members, and should be encouraged to be applied more.
For domestic violence to occur, the cause often does not come from just one side, so it is reasonable that both sides should be punished - hitting the wallet hard - as in the case in Dong Hoi city.
This is a way to demonstrate the fairness and objectivity of the law, while emphasizing that each individual needs to take responsibility for his or her own behavior in family relationships!
