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./.