Nguyen Ba Thanh, secretary of the Party Committee of the central

Da Nang (VNA) – Nguyen Ba Thanh, secretary of the Party Committee of the central
port city of Da Nang , on Aug. 5, had an open discussion with 130 husbands who
have committed domestic violence.

The husbands, who local authorities said have shown little progress in their
behaviour, were asked to never harm their wives again.

Some of the men are well educated, but many are poor and have little schooling.

“A husband and wife are like each shoe of a pair. They never part, they tread
high or low ground together,” Thanh told the packed room. “Just imagine what
would happen if a shoe goes missing.”

Thanh told the men at the meeting that he was “just putting it straight to you
as a man. You should be candid so that we can work out the problem. Every time
you turn violent, are you aware of the implications?”

“It’s the beginning of tragedies, especially for your children,” he said.

Thanh said children who live in such a violent household often suffer from
depression, insomnia, mental disorders and despair, while others might be driven
into committing crimes.

He noted that a vicious circle of domestic violence often occur, with the male
children later beating their own wives.

Domestic violence is increasing in Da Nang , resulting in 600 lawsuits annually
on average, according to Nguyen Ba Son, director of the city’s Department of
Justice, who spoke at the meeting.
Maltreatment ranged from beating, verbal insults and threats, exclusion of wives
from social activities, and abortion or pregnancy demands, he said.

The city is currently involved in a poverty alleviation project, which includes
providing low-cost housing and incentive loans that could help poor families have a
better life and less conflict at home.
The meeting ended with more than 100 husbands signing forms pledging not to
repeat their domestic assaults, even though some of them said they had done
nothing wrong and that the incidents had occurred a long time ago.-Enditem