Authors : Somsouk Sananikone, Dusadee Ayuwat and Nilubol Rujiraprasert
Abstract: The objective of this study focuses on increasing the knowledge of the intervention processes for domestic violence disputes at a village level in Laos. This study was a qualitative study by employing the in-depth interviews of 15 key informants, e.g., police officers, lawyers, village heads, social workers, the Lao Women’s Union and the Village Mediation Units. Research area was in one rural village of Laos which has high prevalence of domestic violence according to the existing studies. This study found that community mainly used education and focused more on family and reconciliation when addressing family disputes, rather than using the formal legal system or focusing on the legal rights of an individual woman. The study also reflected that in addressing and managing of family violence problems, villagers were relying on the Village Mediation Units which usually involved a very long coordination process for this sensitive issue. Based on its findings, this study supports the argument that in general, there is still a need for a broader quantitative study to systematically and empirically depicting the prevalence and impacts of this problem.
Somsouk Sananikone, Dusadee Ayuwat and Nilubol Rujiraprasert, 2016. Domestic Violence Intervention Based on Reconciliation and Mediation Process in Lao PDR. The Social Sciences, 11: 139-146.