Sir: I recently visited the Burns Centre, Civil Hospital, Karachi and met the head of the department, Dr Dabir ur Rehman. After discussing different cases with the doctor, I realised that most of them were the result of domestic violence. As I studied the cases of burn victims, I came to know that in most of the incidents, the threat of throwing acid or burning the victim to death were actually translated into action. They were not hollow threats. The wives or the female members of the family to whom the threat was made would usually not take it seriously, and unfortunately did not take the necessary precautions. It is advisable in such a situation to be alert and try to change the mindset of the partner, to refrain from things that could instigate his anger, or in a situation where there is no other choice, to move away from the house. ALIZA ALI RIZVI Karachi