← All questionsGS4 · 2016 · Ethics Case Study ·Boss's Domestic Violence: Report or Ignore
QUESTION 12
GS4
20 marks

You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a Government office working as an assistant, to the director of your department. Since you’ve joined recently, you need to learn and progress. Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you for your job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed person having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are looking forward to learn a lot from him. Since you’ve good tuning with the boss, he started depending on you. One day due to ill health he invited you at his place for finishing some urgent work. You reached his house and you heard shouting noises before you could ring the bell. You waited for a while. After entering, boss greeted you and explained the work. But you were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfy you. Next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the office and found out that his behavior is very bad at home with his wife. He also beat up his wife. His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman in comparison to her husband. You see that though your boss is a nice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence at home. In such a situation, you are left with the following options. Analyse each option with its consequences.1) Just ignore thinking about it because it is their personal matter.2) Report the case to the appropriate authority.3) Your own innovative approach towards the situation.

WRITE IN
14 min
250 words

What the examiner wants

Analyse consequences of ignoring, reporting, and an innovative approach to a superior's domestic abuse.

Case studyName the stakeholders and the issues, weigh the options, and say what you would do and why.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Stakeholders: wife, director, you, family, office≈50 words
  2. 2(a) Ignoring: complicity, continued abuse, moral distress≈50 words
  3. 3(b) Reporting: protection, accountability; risk to career and relationship≈50 words
  4. 4(c) Innovative: speak to wife, help her contact Protection Officer or helpline, counselling for husband, discreet reporting≈50 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Stakeholders(a) consequences(b) consequences(c) approachConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Treating it as a private matter
  • Not assessing all three options

Draw this

  • Table: option → consequences

Value addition

  • LawSection 4 of PWDVA 2005 allows any person to inform the Protection Officer and protects good-faith informants.PWDVA, 2005
  • DataNFHS-5 (2019-21): 29.3% of ever-married women aged 18-49 experienced spousal violence.NFHS-5
  • RuleCCS (Conduct) Rules bar conduct unbecoming of a government servant.CCS Conduct Rules, 1964

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