GRADE 1 STUDENT WAS STABBED IN TEN FINGERTIPS BY A TEACHER WITH A SEWING NEEDLE FOR WRITING SLOWLY, OUT OF LINE, AND WRITING BADLY: THERE ARE SIGNS OF TORTURING OTHERS?

“Education is built on the foundation of love, patience and respect for the dignity of children. However, when a tool used for sewing becomes a means of punishing students in the classroom, the line between education and violence is completely blurred. Behind the wounds on the fingertips of a grade 1 child are not only physical pain but also psychological trauma that lasts for years afterwards. How does the law recognize this behavior?”

Let’s analyze a real situation with MSc. Nguyen Huu Long below to find a thorough answer both legally and humanitarianly.

Summary of the actual case (The Case)

At Primary School X, Commune B, Province C, Nguyen Van A, a grade 1 student, faced many difficulties in the process of practicing writing due to his new acquaintance with writing and pen skills.

Considering that he wrote slowly, had bad letters and often wrote out of line, the homeroom teacher, Nguyen Thi B, repeatedly used a sewing needle to pierce her fingertips in the classroom to “deter” and “help her remember longer”.

After the lesson, the family found many small wounds appearing on the fingertips of child A with expressions of fear, panic and not daring to go to school.

The incident quickly caused frustration among parents and the local community, and raised questions about legal responsibility for this behavior.

Is this merely a wrong disciplinary measure or has there been signs of behavior prohibited by criminal law?

Legal perspective – “Solid shield”

Signs of the crime of torturing others under the Criminal Code

Article 140 of the 2015 Criminal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017, 2025) stipulates:

“Article 140. Crime of torturing others

Those who cruelly treat or humiliate their dependents, if they do not fall into the cases specified in Article 185 of this Code, shall be sentenced to non-custodial reform for up to 03 years or a prison term of between 03 months and 02 years.

Committing the crime in one of the following cases, the offenders shall be sentenced to between 01 and 03 years of imprisonment:

a) For persons under 16 years of age, women who know that they are pregnant, the elderly, weak, sick or other persons who are defenseless;

b) Causing mental and behavioral disorders of the victim with a bodily injury rate of 31% or more;

c) For 02 or more persons.”

This regulation is intended to protect people who are in a state of dependency or under the management, care or education of others from acts of cruelty, insult or physical and mental pain.

In simple words, teachers have the right to educate students but have absolutely no right to use violence, corporal punishment or other forms of punishment that cause physical pain as a substitute for pedagogical education.

Children’s rights to protection under the Children’s Law

“Article 12. Right to Life

Children have the right to be protected in life, to be assured of the best living and development conditions.”

Article 12 of the 2016 Children’s Law stipulates that children have the right to have their lives, health, honor and dignity protected; to be protected from all forms of violence, abuse and cruel treatment.

At the same time, families, schools, agencies, organizations and individuals are responsible for creating a safe environment for children and promptly preventing and handling acts that cause harm to children.

This means that schools should be the safest place for young children, not where they have to fear pain or physical violence.

Apply to the situation

Compared to the above situation, if the verification shows that the teacher has repeatedly used a suture needle to pierce the student’s fingertips as a form of punishment for slow or bad writing, this behavior is no longer within the scope of normal student education or management.

In that case, the act may show signs of cruel treatment of the person who is dependent on him or her in the educational relationship and may be considered by the procedural agency from the perspective of Article 140 of the 2015 Criminal Code.

At the same time, this is also an act that goes against the principles of child protection stipulated in the 2016 Children’s Law.

Whether a specific act has sufficient elements to constitute a crime or not will fall under the jurisdiction of the competent procedural agency to investigate, evaluate evidence and decide the competent procedure-conducting agency.

Legal conclusion

Through analysis, it can be seen that the law gives teachers the right to educate students but does not give the right to use physical pain as a pedagogical tool.

Any act of using violence against children in the name of “teaching”, “molding” or “discipline” may face corresponding liability if it exceeds the limits permitted by law.

Perspective of Psychology – Education – Governance – “The Key to Humanity”

Psychological perspective

What caused public outrage lay not only in the wounds on the fingertips of a six-year-old child, but also in the fact that the very person he trusted the most in the classroom became a source of pain and fear.

For children in grade 1, negative experiences associated with school can leave feelings of anxiety, fear of teachers, fear of learning, or fear of going to school for a long time.

Educational perspective

Writing slowly, badly or off-line are very common difficulties in grade 1 students when they are just starting to get used to writing skills.

What children need at this stage is guidance, patience and encouragement, not fear created by physical pain.

Management perspective

The incident is a stern warning about the supervision of professional ethics and culture of conduct in the school environment.

A safe education system not only needs a process to protect students but also needs a mechanism for early detection, reception, reflection and timely handling of acts that show signs of violence against children.

Comprehensive solution of Expert Nguyen Huu Long

When the shadow of child abuse creeps into the classroom, any delay, cover-up, or compromise on the part of education administrators is an indirect crime against the child’s future.

Surgical the incident handling process: The first and immutable principle is to put the victim at the center of protection. Schools must immediately isolate the source of danger, record the current situation and collect witness statements in the most scientific and delicate way to avoid causing overlapping damage to children. If the incident has touched the boundaries of the Criminal Code, the school management does not have the right to settle on its own or make this an internal disciplinary case. The transfer of the dossier to the investigating police agency is a mandatory legal obligation. In addition, the immediate review and suspension of the work of the suspected personnel is a necessary action to protect the pedagogical environment, not waiting for the final ruling of the Court.

Build a substantive safety fortress: A safe school is not shaped by the “Happy Schools” slogans hanging on the walls, but by how the system responds to and faces a crisis when it occurs. The decision to handle must be based on objective facts and the spirit of respect for the law, not dominated by the pressure of achievement or fear of affecting the reputation of the school. Schools must be the place where the child finds the strongest protection, where school justice is enforced to return respect and peace to their childhood.

Expert Nguyen Huu Long’s message

“Discipline can help children remember a lesson, but the fear created by violence can follow them for years to come. True education begins with patience, not pain.”

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE:

This article is based on the professional consultation and advice of MSc. Nguyen Huu Long – Expert in Leadership, Legal, Psychology & Education. With a multi-disciplinary integrated mindset, we not only provide a solid legal shield but also provide comprehensive risk management and psychological empathy solutions for the sustainable development of the community.

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