BANKE, Gharelu hinsa bata pidit mahila haru prahari ma ujuri garna darauchan. DEC 31 - Puja Thakur of Indrapur-9 in Banke did not press charge against her husband Pawan Kumar who had set her on fire on October 6. The 19-year-old, following advice from her family, declined to register a case against her abusive spouse. When a local human rights group learnt about the incident, it made a point to bring Pawan Kumar to justice by filing a criminal case against him. On the same day Puja was set ablaze by her husband, an identical incident had transpired at Bhujaigaon village in the district. The 25-year-old victim, Hem Kumari Dhobi, died a week later in a Kathmandu-based hospital. Police apprehended Hem Kumari’s husband, Gaya Prasad, suspecting foul play. But once again, the victim’s family from India refused to file a case and the local human rights groups had to step in. Gaya Prasad is currently in police custody. Cases, in which the victims of domestic violence refuse to file police complaints against their spouses and in-laws, are all too common in Banke , say human rights activists in the district. “Victims, particularly from Madhesi community, rarely step forward and demand justice, because they believe that it is okay for a husband to hit his wife,” says Bindu Kunwar of District Women Development Office (DWDO). “Another reason these cases are deliberately hushed-up by the victims is because they think that they have to remain with their husbands for their children’s sake. As a result, not only the perpetrators go unpunished, there is also the risk of cases of domestic violence increasing in the community.” Since mid-July, 55 victims of domestic violence have come in contact with the DWDO. Some victims are also found unwilling to fight legal battle to protect their privacy. For such cases, says Murari Kharel, the director of Nepalgunj regional office of the National Human Rights Commission, the victims usually request for anonymity, if they decide to file complaint that is. Although there are provisions in the legal system for security, shelter, food and accommodation for the victims, but their implementation is lacking. THAKUR SIN