Postnatal Mothers' Knowledge of Domestic Violence Against Women During Pregnancy

Introduction: Domestic violence against women poses a significant global public health challenge, particularly jeopardizing the well-being of mothers and their children, when occurring during pregnancy. In Nepal, women and girls frequently experience physical, psychological, economic, and sexual abuse within families, communities, and society at large. Such acts are criminal offenses under Nepalese law, with stringent penalties. The Constitution of Nepal explicitly prohibits justification of violence based on religious, social, cultural, or any other grounds. Victims are encouraged to seek support from government health services, women's organizations, and shelters, where they can receive counseling and assistance. This study aimed to identify the postnatal mothers’ knowledge of domestic violence against women during pregnancy. Methods and materials: Cross-sectional descriptive research was conducted among 302 purposively selected postnatal mothers who attended Patan Hospital. The data were collected through a face-to-face interview schedule after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee of Patan Academy of Health Sciences IRC-PAHS, Lagankhel, Lalitpur. Data were analyzed IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0 using descriptive statistics. Results: Out of the 302 respondents surveyed, the highest level of knowledge was found regarding physical violence (96.7%), followed by sexual violence (94.7%) and emotional violence (78.1%). Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (64.3%) indicated knowledge of legal provisions in Nepal to address domestic violence. Almost all respondents (94%) identified mothers-in-law as the primary perpetrators, followed by husbands (46.7%), sisters-in-law (22.2%), and fathers-in-law (17.9%). Only 28.8% of the respondents considered the maternal home a suitable place to report incidents of violence if they occur. Actions such as slapping, twisting arms, pulling hair, punching with fists, kicking, dragging, or beating were commonly mentioned as domestic violence by the mothers surveyed. Conclusion: This study concludes that postnatal mothers had a high knowledge of physical, sexual, and emotional violence, with significant recognition of mothers-in-law as primary perpetrators. Thus, it is necessary to educate mothers-in-law about respectful behavior and the consequences of domestic violence, aiming to reduce perpetration rates and enhance familial harmony in Nepalese households. Key words: Domestic Violence, Knowledge, Postnatal mother