Domestic violence against women in Bangladesh

Abstract

We conducted qualitative research and a population based survey on 3,130 women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh to study the prevalence and consequences of domestic violence against women and their coping strategies. Sixty percent of women reported ever being physically or sexually abused during their lives. Their husbands were the most common perpetrator. Two-thirds of the abused women have never talked about their experience of violence and almost none accessed formal services for support. To address this major public health problem, the prevailing attitudes that permit and encourage male violence against women must be directly addressed.