The public should stop perceiving physical abuse as a common component of domestic affairs, a seminar was told on Thursday. Speakers called on witnesses to intervene to help prevent deaths from domestic violence.
According to Angkana Inthasa, a member of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, deaths from domestic violence occur mainly because of the widely held belief among Thais that outsiders should not intervene in personal, family matters. "Therefore, when incidents do occur, most witnesses prefers to not get involved," she said.
Ms Angkana said that in 95% of domestic violence cases that resulted in death, passersby did not help domestic abuse victims even when they witness the incident first-hand, out of fear of being caught in the crossfire. In the remaining 5% of cases, immediate family members attempted to intervene.
The foundation noted that deaths from domestic violence in the first seven months of 2018 have already exceeded the figures reported in 2014 and 2015. "If we can change this perception that domestic abuse is a personal matter, there wouldn't be so many abuses and deaths," she said.
In a seminar titled "Catching Dangerous Signal: Deaths and Domestic Violence 2018", the foundation said that from 367 domestic violence cases recorded between January to August this year, 65.9% (242 cases) are deaths from general domestic violence, while 22.9% (84 cases) involve physical violence. A further 11.2% (41 cases) are suicides -- most of which involved spouses who had murdered their partners.
In 40% of the cases, alcohol was involved.
The foundation noted that in 40% of the cases, guns were used as the murder weapon, followed by knives (29%), other equipment at hand (23%) and hands (5%).
Ms Angkana said that in four out of five cases, violence stemmed from verbal quarrels that escalated into physical violence, all of which were caused by the lack of communication.
She said if couples were able to communicate, or apologise for wrongdoings and promise to never do them again, it help reduce the incidence of violence.
Pol Maj Peabprom Mekhiyanont, an inspector at the Institute of Investigation and Inquiry Affairs of the Royal Thai Police, said victims of domestic violence should not hesitate to contact 191.
She also urged witnesses to assess the situation before aiding victims of domestic violence.
"If you think that it isn't too dangerous to step in, the best method is to approach the perpetrator with care. Negotiations will lower their guard,'' she said.
Pol Maj Peabprom added that a part of the problem lies in the manner of which the police deal with domestic violence cases.
"Many police do not pay enough attention to domestic violence cases and still adopt the attitude that such cases are private affairs that will resolve itself,'' she said.