ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the initiatives undertaken by the government of Tamil Nadu to reduce domestic violence and the ways in which police now handle domestic violence cases. It proposes a problem-solving method as a way to organize multiple approaches in identifying, analyzing, and solving the domestic violence problem. The IAS model might be of more general application not only in India, but also elsewhere in the world where traditional cultures prevail. In an attempt to deal more adequately with crimes against women, particularly violence related to problems over dowries, the Tamil Nadu government decided to experiment with all-women police stations, the first of which was opened in Central Madras in 1992. In sum, the Tamil Nadu experience shows that a dispute resolution model can be very useful for police in responding to domestic violence in a traditional society and that this training can be effectively delivered through web-based training.
