Fihavanana

Fihavanana can be a lengthy process so let me give you an example of what my maid went through. Mine is still in process............
My maid has worked for me for 5 years.  I knew her when she was married with two children and she was 27 years old. Two years later her husband took another wife and my maid was hurt deeply for he also took the children however her children were covered by my medical plan.  Her husband also wanted his ex spouse, my maid from time for time for sex. My maid kept hopeing they would get back together again.  About two years ago my maid, after several boyfriends finally found a boyfriend but he was already the boyfriend of this other girl.  My maid and her new boyfriend used to meet in private. Then the girlfriend of this boy found out and she went crazy and attacked my maid and put a deep scar in her face.  My maid had his girlfriend, (the  boyfriend of both girls),  put in jail for damages to my maids face.   She was in prison for several days.  Here comes the fihavanana, rather than send the girl who attacked my maid to prison for a long time the girl had promised to pay damages to my maid for the violence.  It came to $200 and paid out over a two month period and now my maid and this boy still live together after about two years now.   Fihavanana is the social settlement of differences in public view of family and police and community and president neighborhood where all can agree not to have hard feeling towards each other later on down the road, so has not to have a private vendetta later on. However time will tell, this action is kept out of the courts and the community solves the problem as compared to a small claims court in the USA or a Judge Judy.  Actually I think this is a very civilized way to solve problems. Now two years later the past is the past and all in life has moved on without the crisis of the past.  The mark in her face has all but disappeared, after all beauty is important . 
This is the short story unless anyone needs me to clear up some extra details that I have not made clear.