Most victims of domestic violence are women and children. Domestic violence happens when a person gets hurt physically, or is abused mentally or emotionally by someone who has a domestic relationship with them. It can include a partner, an ex-partner, a parent, a child, a caregiver, etc.

One out of every six women is battered by her husband or boyfriend. But domestic violence is still not talked about openly. It is generally believed that what goes on in a person’s home is their own private affair and people, including the authorities, should not intervene. This leads to a lot of abuse in the home going unpunished. It also makes it hard for battered women and children to look for help.

There are however options available to battered women and a number of organisations that can assist you if you are in such a situation. Getting a Protection Order under the Domestic Violence Act is one of the most important steps that a person who has been abused can take to stop the violence.

(See: Problem 2: Using the law against domestic violence and Problem 3: Getting a Protection Order)