ABSTRACT

Khan, M.E. and Aditi Aeron. 2006. "Prevalence, nature and determinants of violence against women in Bangladesh," Journal of Family Welfare 52(special issue): 33–51.

Violence against women has serious consequences on the physical and mental health of women, and the urgent need to address the issue needs no emphasis. It is a major public health problem and a violation of the rights of women. Available studies indicate that 16–50 percent of women face violence in their lifetime. In patriarchal societies, particularly in South-Asian countries, the situation is much worse as violence against women is an accepted norm for "controlling" them. In countries like Bangladesh, the problem is compounded by extreme poverty, illiteracy, and early marriage. What makes it very difficult to respond effectively to gender-based violence is the fact that, even today, domestic violence is treated as a normal part of married life by both men and women. For programmatic interventions to address such culturally deep-rooted problems, detailed and reliable information on the prevalence, nature, and causes of gender violence in the given context, is critical. One such effort is a WHO multi-country study which also covers Bangladesh. The present paper is one such attempt to understand the dynamics of gender based violence in Bangladesh.

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