Slovak paedophile’s conviction a watershed for Vietnam
First prosecution since closure of a legal loophole that enabled men to sexually abuse young boys without it being considered a sex crime raises hopes the country has turned a corner on child abuse
In a landmark case this week, Roman Zmajkovic became the first person to be prosecuted under a new Vietnamese law on paedophilia.
Zmajkovic, 33, was charged in Hanoi People’s Court for “having sexual intercourse with children” and given three years in prison followed by deportation to Slovakia. The maximum possible sentence was 15 years. Zmajkovic’s prosecution is the first to occur under a new Vietnamese law that recognises non-heterosexual sex with children as a sex crime.
Meanwhile, the company his father is president of, BTG Holdings, has “disappeared” from Vietnam.
Until January, the law surrounding paedophilia in Vietnam was vague, with a legal loophole enabling men to sexually abuse young boys without it being considered a sex crime, as sex was defined as occurring only between a man and woman.
Do Duy Vi, Crisis Care Team Leader at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, an NGO that works with at-risk youth in Hanoi, emphasised the importance of the legal reform.
“In 2012 and 2013, paedophiles would drive around Hanoi on motorbikes looking for young boys as if they had impunity. They were not afraid,” he said. “We heard stories of abuse from young boys. As many as 50, but nobody knows the real number.”
According to the prosecution, Zmajkovic entered Vietnam under a tourist visa late last year and stayed in the country after it expired.
