"Wife abducting" custom criticised again after real abduction attempt

The traditional ‘wife abducting’ custom of the H'mong ethnic group has been criticised after a recent case where three men tried to abduct a girl in Hoa Binh Province without her consent.

The traditional ‘wife abducting’ custom of the H'mong ethnic group has been criticised after a recent case where three men tried to abduct a girl in Hoa Binh Province without her consent.

 

Three men attempting to abduct a girl

The custom was criticised after a video clip was posted and spread quickly on the Internet. In the clip, three young men tried to catch and drag a girl onto their motorbike despite her opposition and attempt to escape. They only let her go after a nearby woman said, "She's too small, let her go. She's only in 7 or 8th grade. Let her grow up more."

However, they tried to catch another girl after that.

According to the owner of the clip, the case occurred at Thung Man Village in Mai Chau District on January 6.

Kha A Vau, chairman of Hang Kia Commune, said that the H'mong ethnic has wife abducting custom that allows the men go out and abduct any women they want home to be their wives. However, Vau said many people had given up this custom in recent years. Moreover, traditionally, the abducting ritual is only for show as most couples have already agreed to the marriage.

 

Wife abducting in Hoa Binh Province

The H'mong traditional new year day is on January 12 in the lunar calendar which falls on January 6 this year so some people chose the day for symbolic reasons.

"We'll investigate the case. It's a crime if the men did carry out an abduction attempt," Vau said.

Lawyer La Van Thai from Hanoi Bar Association said the wife abducting custom was a crime and a violation of the Law on Marriage and Family.

"Violators will be fined from VND300,000 (USD13) to VND500,00 or face jail time from three months to three years," he said.