Man arrested over rape of four boys at Vietnam social protection center

Pham Chi Cuong, 21, is under investigation for "rape" and "molestation of a person under 16," Cong Ly (Law and Justice) Newspaper under the Supreme People's Court reported.

The arrest came after an employee of the Ca Mau social protection center filed a complaint to local police, stating the culprit had repeatedly molested and engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with four formerly homeless boys aged between 8 and 13 inside the bathroom and men's room.

Cuong admitted to his crime at the police station.

He was first found unconscious in front of Ca Mau General Hospital on May 31, admitted for emergency treatment, and diagnosed with superinfection asthma.

He was sent to the Ca Mau social protection center for further care. The center was unable to track down his family after that.

This is not the first instance of sexual abuse was uncovered at social protection centers in Vietnam.

Last May, a manager of a social support center in HCMC's Binh Thanh District was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for molesting underage girls staying there during his night shifts.