In a patriarchal society like ours where females are treated inferior to men, domestic violence is not a rare thing. We often read about such cases. Unfortunately, only 10 to 20 per cent of females gather enough courage to speak against it. I personally have not witnessed domestic violence, but if I do witness it, I would like to solve the problem by discussing it with the couple concerned and give them suggestions, and if that does not work, I would warn them about the consequences of domestic violence. If it still doesn’t work, then I will take the help of organisations working against domestic violence and will make sure that the culprit is punished.

— Sonam Singh

The fact that we are humans and that it is our duty to help other human beings in trouble should be primarily realised. Just ignoring domestic violence considering it a personal matter is being ignorant. Every living soul has the right to live without fear of being beaten or harmed. And anyone trying to violate this should be punished by law.

If we happen to witness domestic violence, a natural tendency to help the victim arises but we just can’t figure out a practical way of doing so. Just stepping in on the scene of violence may seem a little awkward.

One way of helping would be to call the police and inform them. After all, the police force is an institution created to protect the weak, punish the wrong doers and maintain peace and stability in society. They would be able to handle such situations more effectively. And by informing them, you would have also fulfilled your duty as a good citizen and a good human being. This is how I’d respond to such a situation as I find it very sensible where you’ve intervened without interfering.

— Avishek K Karky

Domestic violence has no cure. It’s the cruelest form of torture, and I would be glad to take every step possible against it. Every human being has a right to a good life, a safe and sound environment, and I won’t bear any violation of these rights. Being a student I cannot do much but will take every small step possible to stop it. I once slapped my domestic help’s husband because he was beating her mercilessly, but that was immature. So, the next time I encounter this kind of incident, maybe I will just inform some person in authority, the police maybe. And if I get no help from them, I will again be ready to take another step. I want to add that domestic violence is something that can be avoided if we are strong enough to take action against it.

— Tulika

Violence affects one’s life in many ways. Among them, domestic violence I think is one of the major and most important forms of violence in our society though it is not taken seriously by the government and society. Punishment for not bringing enough dowry, discrimination between son and daughter, multiple marriages by men, are some common but dangerous matters that we have been seeing frequently in our society. If I witnessed such violence, I would not be a silent spectator. Though it is a personal matter, we should raise our voices against it. I would raise the issue in the community and also report it to the police and inform related organisations and media to strictly punish the person.

— Prakash Kharel

We have been seeing domestic violence since childhood in our neighbourhood or our own homes. Some of us might have faced the consequences that it brings and some managed to get out of it regardless of whatever degree it has affected us. It is like a disease that has left its effect in each and every house in rural and urban areas. Many efforts have been made to root out this practice with the help of social organisations, but the results don’t seem to be rosy as compared to the huge amount of money spent on various activities to eradicate this social problem. Results show that children are hit most by such violence. There are many factors that contribute to domestic violence, which include alcohol consumption, poverty, socio-economic conditions of villages, family composition, and employment opportunities. As a responsible citizen, I would not close my eyes if I happened to witness such violence. If I ignored it, I would be committing social crime and promoting violence, letting more children and families suffer. I would react to the situation positively and convince the head of the family the next morning with a cool mind. Surely, I would intervene and convince the parents letting them know the perils of such conflicts. Telling them the truth, of course, would help. If they learn the facts like separation of family, children who run away, frustrating environment and so on, are all the effects of domestic violence, parents will think twice before committing domestic violence.

— Mallicka Shrestha, Balaju

It would indeed be against my morals seeing domestic violence and ignoring it. As far as possible we should try to bring them to an agreement or make the person realise what s/he is doing is not right. Once I saw my neighbours quarrelling about their personal matters, but it turned quite serious when the husband started beating his wife. As this had been going on for around 2-3 days I couldn’t tolerate it, and I informed the police. The problem was settled. This is how we can make an attempt to stop a matter of violence.

— Dlizsa, Pokhara

Domestic violence affects people across the world, irrespective of economic status and culture. It is as common in urban educated communities as it is among illiterate villagers. However, such issues are more hidden in the so-called civilised societies as it is believed that tolerating these matters and not letting the family affair go out from the house is a symbol of sophistication. If I happen to witness such abuses in my circle, I will not be another hypocrite and turn a deaf ear to the matter. Nevertheless, I will not react immediately and make things go from bad to worse. I feel that shouting against the offender or trying to preach to him/her will be useless as in most of the cases it is not that such people do not know that what they are doing is callous. The fact is that they are confident that the victim will not protest. Thus, I will make the sufferer realise that s/he is being victimised and suggest the person to fight against it personally, in a decent manner. If this does not work, then I will support the victim to unveil the subject and raise voice till s/he gets legitimate aid.

— Reecha

Domestic violence is one of the serious problems faced by women all over the world. Because of lack of proper education, religious beliefs, social customs, women from Asia and other developing countries are major victims of domestic violence. Such violence is occurring in our society every other minute. A drunken husband beating his wife, sexual abuse by a husband, a mother-in-law giving physical and mental torture to daughter-in-law for dowry issues, are so common in our society. Being part of the same society, we witness such incidents quite often.

But many times we are not able to say or do anything. But now the time has come to be united and raise our voice against such violence, because it’s now or never. If we remain quiet today, the next victim could be one of us.

If I witness such a form of violence, of course I will intervene because I think it’s a type of social disease which needs to be cured from the root. But first of all, I will try to convince the victim, rebuild her/his self-confidence and to live with dignity. We can take help of various social organisations who are working in this area. But first and foremost is to provide proper education to women. Once they are educated, empowered and independent, such violence can be reduced to a large extent.

— Sangeeta Neupani

Recently, a group of my friends were together discussing domestic violence — bad marriages, quarrels, fighting... it’s horrible. It’s everywhere. There’s no denying this truth. I wondered how would I bear to see all this? I realised that as much as it would disturb me, it is a reality I will have to live with. There’s no running away from it. If I were to witness any form of domestic violence, I would intervene. I would try and talk to any one of the parties and try to lessen the row. The least I can do is make that person feel happier after going through such a traumatic incident.

— Rashmi, Pokhara

Domestic violence is the commonest form of violence meted out against women in our country. It is very sad to note that drinking alcohol is a major factor behind rising domestic violence. Wives beaten up by their husbands under the influence of alcohol is very common in most of the rural areas. Being a woman I feel it very bad to see other woman suffering for no fault of hers and my heart aches to see all this. I cannot think of ignoring a woman while she is being subjected to violence. There are many occasions when I have intervened in such matters, directly or indirectly. And it gives me great pleasure to reveal that my interventions have not gone worthless and brought about positive changes. Despite that I am not satisfied with the social trend that glorifies drinking alcohol. Since alcohol has been the root cause of domestic violence, to impose a ban on the haphazard sale and use of alcohol is important if women are to be protected.

— Ambika Pandey, Chitwan

Obviously I will intervene. Domestic violence has reached its peak. Women who are battered by their husbands are always oppressed as they cannot speak against the violence they are facing. One of the factors for this is the social belief in which women are brought up. From their childhood, they are made to feel weak and inferior and should respect their husbands and should not speak against them. This has made women more vulnerable. So, if I saw such domestic violence, I will take an action against those who are responsible for it. First I will listen to the woman whose right is violated and take the case to a court as it’s the job of a good citizen. But, those who think it as other’s personal matter and ignore it, should understand that one day it could happen to them and there would be no one help them at that moment.

— Anuja Sharma

Lack of education, poor economic condition are main causes of domestic violence. People can hardly fulfil their basic needs and are always living in stress. If I witnessed domestic violence, first I would talk about the issue with both of them and convince both sides to come to a compromise.

— Subarna K Shakya, Min Bhawan

We have been hearing about and seeing domestic violence in our society and all over the world quite often. Domestic violence doesn’t mean physical violence only, it can be verbal as well which is more rampant even in so-called educated families. When it comes to violence, it becomes a societal issue so there is no question of taking it as a personal matter and looking away. I believe one should intervene in such cases. There is a beautiful teaching of the last prophet Muhammad in Islam that if you see something going wrong in front of you, then try to stop in with your hand; if you can’t stop it with your hand, try with your mouth; if that doesn’t work, then at least stop it in your heart and this is the last level of faith. So, I believe one should intervene in such matters and try to solve it.

If it’s possible to stop it with your hand one should do that but at times its not practical to use your hands or mouth when dealing with your elders, so that time one should atleast

stop it in one’s heart, meaning one should not support it either.

— Amrita Karki Kunwar, Tahachal