At Least Someone Has My Back: Family Strategies to Address Domestic Violence in Nepal

Background and Purpose: Despite increased visibility of domestic violence (DV) in international and national agendas as both a human rights and gender equity issue, formal service approaches to address DV have been hampered by limited accessibility and affordability, long legal processes, and the minimization of violence, heterosexism, and racism in institutions intended to address DV. Given these limitations, and that DV survivors in South Asia often seek help from family members, it is important to understand the roles that families play, or could play, to address DV and support those who have experienced it. This study builds on a previous finding that families in Nepal are often central to providing for individuals’ economic, emotional, and social well-being, healthcare, and access to legal rights. Yet no studies have examined the strengths and strategies that non-abusive family members in Nepal already use in response to DV. Based in qualitative interviews and focus groups with non-governmental (NGO) service providers working in Pokhara, Nepal and surrounding rural areas, the present study sought to answer the following question: How do family members support survivors and address DV?

Methods: Field research for this project was designed alongside a local partner organization and carried out in Pokhara, Nepal across two summers (2015, 2018). Nine interviews and 7 focus groups (n=58) were conducted in Nepali language with upper management and field staff in NGOs that serve diverse constituents in both urban and rural settings. Interviews and focus groups were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed in Nepali language and thematic analysis was carried out using standard practices in the analysis of qualitative data. Rigor was enhanced through consultation with local collaborators and scholars working in the field, reflexive and operational memos, and long-term engagement with social service organizations. The methods and findings were shared with 90 government and NGO representatives in Pokhara, Nepal, who provided feedback.

Results: In Nepal, extended patrilocal families are the normative family structure, and this had important implications both for the forms DV takes and for survivor support. Violence was often used by more powerful members of the family such as a husband or parents-in-law, towards those with less power, especially wives and daughters-in-law. However, in some families there were members, including both in immediate and extended families, who actively supported survivors and spoke against violence. This support included emotional support, seeking to mediate between parties in cases perceived to be lower risk, directly confronting those who have used violence, and providing instrumental support to survivors. Service providers perceived that when family members provided such supports, this led to improved outcomes, including a greater sense of well-being, moral grounding, and improved economic, social, and legal standing that enhanced survivors’ available options.

Conclusion and Implications: This research suggests that family members can be a valuable resource for survivors in Pokhara and surrounding areas. These and other grassroots efforts to address DV must be better understood so that national and international policies and programs can build upon existing strengths and opportunities to address DV in Nepal and beyond.