Nicaragua shows how poor countries can reduce domestic violence

TO SHOW HOW her husband would hit her, Ana (not her real name) makes a fist with her slender fingers and swings. He began soon after their marriage when she was 16: he was bullied at work but brutish at home. One night he drunkenly told Ana to leave their house in León, Nicaragua’s second city. When she tried to, he put his machete against her neck while she clutched their baby daughter. Five years ago the beatings abated. Threats to call the police quietened him, says Ana. He may not respect her, but he respects the authorities.