| Abstract | Domestic violence is a persistent problem in rural Myanmar, still the people who witness it almost always stay silent. This study looks at why community members in Nyaung Gone Village, Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region, Myanmar remain silent when they witness intimate partner violence between husbands and wives. It also examines how community members perceive and define domestic violence, and what social, cultural, and structural factors make bystander silence feel like the only available response. The study was conducted in Nyaung Gone Village – a small, rural, ethnically mixed community with both Karen and Bamar residents and both Buddhist and Christian traditions. Data were collected from 42 community members through 19 in depth interviews, 4 focus group discussions, and 4 key informant interviews using a qualitative case study approach. The analysis was guided by the Ecological Model, Bystander Intervention Theory, and Social Norms Theory. The findings show that domestic violence in this village was collectively minimized, defined only as visible physical harm, and actively justified by both men and women through moral arguments about infidelity and gender roles. The community framed domestic violence as a private family matter that no outsider had the right to address. Seven mechanisms were found to sustain bystander silence – the husband-wife fence norm, fear of physical injury, fear of sexual accusation, fear of social blame, diffusion of responsibility, victim silence and endurance norms, and the reconciliation trap. Each mechanism blocked a specific step of the bystander intervention process. One of the most significant findings of the study is the concept of the Women\'s Triple Position – women in this village simultaneously occupied the roles of victim, norm-enforcer, and silenced bystander, which made the system exceptionally difficult to challenge or change. The study recommends engaging older women as facilitators of norm change, developing peer-based programs for younger men, establishing a proactive village-level domestic violence protocol, and urgently planning for the transition after World Vision\'s program concludes in 2026. |
