Key Social Norms Take-aways This study highlights that deeply rooted patriarchal social norms—centered around family honor, obedience to elders, and the sanctity of marriage—significantly deter help-seeking for gender-based violence (GBV) in Nepal. Despite increased awareness and formal justice mechanisms, women often face strong sanctions for reporting violence, including stigma, community ostracism, and familial rejection. These norms are particularly influential in the Terai region and are reinforced by collective pressure to prioritize family harmony over individual rights. Transforming help-seeking behaviors requires shifting these injunctive norms through education, role modeling, and community-based engagement that reframe support-seeking as consistent with family and social values.
Objectives The study aimed to assess the baseline context of GBV-related social norms, help-seeking behaviors, and perceptions of security and justice (S&J) service provision in Nepal as part of the Strengthening Access to Holistic, Gender Responsive, and Accountable Justice (SAHAJ) intervention. The evaluation sought to understand the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking for GBV and inform programmatic strategies for addressing these challenges.
Methods The assessment employed a concurrent mixed-methods design across 17 communities in two Nepali provinces. Quantitative data included a household survey (N=3,830), and sub-studies with youth (N=143) and married adults (N=464). Qualitative data included 68 interviews with S&J service providers, survivors, and families, and 20 focus group discussions with police, youth, and school committees. Descriptive and injunctive norms were measured through validated scales and vignettes, including adaptations of CARE’s SNAP framework and grounded theory analysis.
Results GBV was widely perceived as prevalent, particularly child marriage, domestic violence, and dowry-related abuse. Formal help-seeking remained rare, with over 90% of women experiencing violence not disclosing it to anyone. While attitudes toward police were generally favorable, perceptions of service accessibility, corruption, and discrimination persisted. Strong injunctive norms discouraged reporting outside the family, driven by beliefs about marital duty, family honor, and social harmony. Women were especially vulnerable to negative sanctions, such as shame and social isolation, when bypassing community-mediated responses. However, younger and more educated individuals were more supportive of formal reporting, suggesting emerging shifts in normative expectations.
Conclusions Norm change is essential to improving help-seeking for GBV in Nepal. While structural reforms have increased the acceptability of S&J providers, entrenched social norms continue to prioritize informal resolution and suppress formal disclosure. Programs like SAHAJ, which integrate social norms transformation with justice system strengthening, offer a promising approach.