Violence against women: A persistent challenge

The 2024 Violence Against Women (VAW) Survey, conducted by BBS and UNFPA, reveals that gender-based violence remains widespread in Bangladesh, affecting women across all regions, age groups, and socio-economic backgrounds. Among 27,476 women surveyed, 76 per cent reported experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point in their lives, while 49 per cent faced such violence in the past 12 months. Emotional and controlling abuse is particularly prevalent, with nearly 50 per cent of women affected, and 8.3 per cent experiencing technology-facilitated harassment. Violence is not limited to intimate partners, as 15 per cent reported physical violence and 2.2 per cent sexual violence by non-partners, including relatives or neighbours. Alarmingly, 7.2 per cent of women faced physical abuse during pregnancy, highlighting the risks to maternal and child health.
Despite the high prevalence, most survivors remain silent due to stigma, fear, and lack of awareness. Only 14.5 per cent sought medical care, and 7.4 per cent took legal action, while awareness of Helpline 109 was just 12.3 per cent. Key risk factors include younger age, low education, residence in urban slums or disaster-prone areas, dowry practices, husband's substance abuse, extramarital affairs and disability. While lifetime IPV has slightly decreased compared to 2015 in terms of physical and sexual abuse, emotional abuse is rising, reflecting shifts in coercive tactics.
Addressing this crisis requires strengthening law enforcement, expanding support services such as Women's Support Centres and One-Stop Crisis Centres, promoting economic empowerment, tackling psychological and digital abuse, and increasing education and community awareness. Violence against women is not a private matter but a societal and human rights issue, demanding collective action to break the cycle of abuse and protect every woman's dignity.

Samia Tasnim Swati
Student
Jahangirnagar University