Three out of four women – a staggering 76% – in the country experience some form of violence at least once in their lifetime, either by their husband or an intimate partner, according to a new survey.
The survey, titled “Violence Against Women Survey 2024,” was jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Unveiled at an event in Dhaka on Monday, the survey revealed that nearly half of the women (49%) reported experiencing such violence within the past year alone.
Alarmingly, two-thirds of victims (62%) never disclosed the abuse they endured.
The findings, based on both UN-defined and locally recognised acts of violence, highlight the staggering scale of violence faced by women and girls across the country.
The forms of violence covered in the survey include physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse, as well as controlling behaviours.
The survey calls for urgent action, urging investments in violence prevention, strengthened services, improved access to justice, and a legal and policy environment that promotes gender equality and human rights.
In the survey, “intimate partners” are defined as current or former husbands, while “non-partners” refer to any individual other than a current or former husband.
The survey also highlights violence from non-partners – 15% of women experienced physical violence, and 2.2% sexual violence from non-partners since the age of 15.
The 2024 survey marks the third national study of its kind, following previous rounds in 2011 and 2015.
It captures trends over the past decade and provides a detailed picture of how violence affects women across Bangladesh, including those living in slums, disaster-prone areas, and women with disabilities.
“This is the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Bangladesh. It provides robust evidence on the prevalence, causes, and impact of violence, which is critical for policy response,” said Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Director General of BBS, who chaired the launch event.
“Going forward, we are committed to strengthening the institutional capacity of BBS to generate VAW data, while ensuring that data collection remains safe, ethical, and rigorous,” he added.
“The report must mark the beginning of transformative action to prevent violence, strengthen services, and ensure justice for survivors,” said Catherine Breen Kamkong, UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh.
54% of women face violence by husbands
According to the survey, more than half of women (54%) experienced physical or sexual violence by their husbands during their lifetime. Among women experiencing sexual violence, 60% faced multiple incidents in the last 12 months.
During pregnancy, 7.2% of married women faced physical violence, and 5.3% experienced sexual violence, threatening both maternal and child health.
The survey found that mothers-in-law and male family members are the most frequent perpetrators of non-partner physical violence. Most non-partner sexual violence is perpetrated by individuals known to the survivors – male relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
Around 8.3% of women experienced some form of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, related to sexual blackmail, image-based abuse, and controlling behaviours.
Among survivors of intimate partner violence, 7.4% took legal action, with community leaders being the most approached authority. Only 3.8% of non-partner violence survivors pursued legal action, typically approaching the police.
Less than half of women (48.5%) know where to report violence, and just 12.3% are aware of the VAW Helpline 109.
Key factors increasing the risk of intimate partner violence include younger age, dowry practices, husbands’ substance abuse or extramarital affairs, and living in urban slums. For non-partner violence, younger age, limited education, and disability are key risk factors, the survey finds.
