Fines of up to VND 2 million will be imposed on those abusing domestic violence against their spouses or children as prescribed in Government Decree No. 110/2009/ND-CP of December 10, on administrative sanctioning of acts of domestic violence, which will take effect on January 27.
The new regulation specifies 17 acts classified as domestic violence, including physical and verbal abuse, sexual maltreatment, desertion of injured violence victims, underfeeding or intimidation of a family member.
Any act of physical abuse, desertion, forcing a family member to live in unhygienic conditions, or threatening him/her with offensive animals or images will be fined VND 1-2 million, each time it is reported or detected.
A fine of VND 2 million will also be imposed on extorting money from a family member, forcing him/her to work against his/her will or destroying his/her assets.
Acts which damage a family member’s reputation or are demeaning, forbidding him/her to work or threatening to reveal damaging secrets will incur a fine of VND 0.2-1 million.
Legal counsellors, health workers and reporters of mass media agencies that release private information on domestic violence victims, damaging their honor and dignity or intentionally inform domestic violence abusers of their victims’ shelter places without victims’ consent will pay a fine of VND 1-3 million. Counselling centers that are set up without permission or take advantage of domestic violence victims’ plight to get money or to request them to take illegal acts will face a fine of up to VND 30 million.
Provincial-level People’s Committees may force persons committing domestic violence to make public apologies.
Serious cases of domestic violence will be examined for penal liability under the Penal Code.