Situational Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence Interventions in South Asian and Middle Eastern Countries

It is vital to identify forms of intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by women and men in intimate relations, their underlying causes, and the impact on their own lives and the society. Research on victimization of women is ample; however, men's victimization in intimate relations is a neglected area of research in many world regions, thus requiring more attention. Among the common psychosocial factors correlated with IPV, specific social, economic, and cultural factors in South Asian and Middle Eastern countries increase women's vulnerability to face and bear the detrimental consequences of IPV. The review of existing literature and interviews with 16 notable agencies in Pakistan indicate that most of the existing intervention programs in these countries focus on providing legal and psychosocial support to female victims. In addition, there is lack of adequate evaluation or proper documentation of the activities and outcomes of intervention programs. These findings strongly suggest that further research on structured perpetrators programs in this part of the world is needed.