The two-day conference, sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the German Development Service (DED), aims to introduce models for local authorities and organizations to intervene in preventing domestic abuse.

Reports at the conference showed that domestic violence is common in rural, remote and isolated areas, where women and children are often physically and emotionally abused.

Key reasons behind the instances of abuse were cited as poor public awareness of the problem, a lack of strict legal punishments, weak interventions of authorities and cultural and traditional barriers.

Figures from the reports estimated that between 55-95 percent of battered women have never reported the abuse.