“At Least Someone Has My Back”: Service Provider Perceptions of Family Strategies to Address Domestic Violence in Nepal

Abstract

Existing limitations of formal service systems to address domestic violence (DV), alongside the fact that many DV survivors first seek support from informal sources, suggest the need to better understand these potential sources of support. In South Asia, research suggests that DV survivors often first seek support from a family member—including within extended families. Based on qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with non-governmental organization (NGO) service providers working in Pokhara, Nepal and surrounding rural areas, the present study sought to understand the strategies employed by family members seeking to support survivors and confront DV. Strategies used by family members included providing emotional and instrumental support to survivors, attempting to mediate, and confronting the person using violence. Instrumental support included facilitating temporary or permanent separation from the person using violence, economic support, childcare, support to obtain legal documents, and support needed to obtain a divorce. Service providers perceived that when family members supported survivors and confronted DV, these actions could lead to improved situations for survivors. Further research is needed to understand experiences of family intervention from the perspectives of diverse survivors in Nepal, as well as the contexts in which this support is effective to ensure survivors’ long-term well-being. Policymakers and practitioners in Nepal and similar contexts should build on existing strategies used by families. Where possible and when desired by survivors, families should be assisted to understand the dynamics of DV and to respond to it in ways that support survivors’ short and long-term goals, rights, and well-being.