Restorative Justice and Domestic Violence Resolution in Thailand

Source: (2004) Voma Connections no. 17 (Summer): 1, 9-16. Downloaded 15 September 2004.

The research findings reported in this article reveal that parents, relatives, and neighbors are the important persons whom the spouses think of whenever they face domestic violence. Traditional Thai proverbs, such as “Don’t let inner fire out, don’t bring outer fire in,” have influenced all responses to domestic violence. Community leaders say that they generally do not intervene in domestic violence situations. They become involved only in cases of physical abuse, and then just to stop the assault. Current criminal justice system responses, while providing initial safety for the abused spouse, are not viewed as satisfying by any of the parties. Justice system officials of Thailand view restorative justice as providing hope for a more constructive response in dealing with domestic violence cases. Intensive training in restorative justice should be available for all persons responding to domestic violence and a cooperative restorative justice center should be established that would be responsible for overseeing the research, training, and implementation of restorative justice in Thailand. Author’s abstract.