Adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Sharmeen S. Murshid, attended the event as the Chief Guest. Photo: PID

DHAKA, Feb 27, 2025 (BSS) - Prevalence of sexual violence against women has shown a decline over the past decade though experiencing such violence during lifetime of a woman remains high, affecting nearly 30 percent of women.

Recent experience have also decreased, nonetheless about one in ten women are facing such violence, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

BBS found this in a survey conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Bangladesh.

Key findings of the survey on Violence against Women (VAW) in 2024 were disseminated today at an event held at BBS auditorium in the capital.

Adviser to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Sharmeen S. Murshid, attended the event as the Chief Guest while Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs Mamtaz Ahmed, Secretary of Statistics and Informatics Division (SID)  Aleya Akter were present.

UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Masaki Watabe, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia Clinton Pobke was present as guests of honour.

 The Director General (DG) of BBS Mohammed Mizanur Rahman was in the chair. Project Director Iftekhairul Karim presented the key findings of the survey.

Addressing the function Sharmeen S. Murshid hoped that this survey would help the government in addressing violence against women.

She said this survey would also supplement the government in framing its plans, strategies and priorities on the issue.

The Violence Against Women Survey, a nationally representative study, is crucial for understanding and addressing violence against women in Bangladesh. 

The 2024 edition of this survey, following similar ones in 2011 and 2015, offers valuable insights into the prevalence of intimate partner violence (by husband) and violence committed by non-partners (NPV), showing how these patterns have evolved over time, employing both international local standards for measurement.

The findings showed that seven in ten women have experienced one or more forms of intimate partner violence -physical, sexual, emotional, controlling behaviours, or economic violence in their lifetime, with four in ten facing it in the last 12 months.

Nearly half of ever married women still experience physical violence at some point in their lifetime. Moreover, in the last 12 months alone, one in every ten women has faced such violence.
 Emotional violence in lifetime has risen since 2015, affecting one in three women. Although recent cases have declined to some extent, still one in seven women are affected. 

Controlling behaviour remains widespread impacting one in two women both in their lifetime and the past year. These trends confirm psychological violence as the most dominant form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh, the survey found.  

Despite some decline in the past decade, economic violence is a significant concern, particularly for urban women. Violence by husbands varies across regions and socioeconomic groups. 

Barishal and Khulna report the highest lifetime prevalence, whereas Rajshahi and Dhaka record the lowest rates.

Women living in disaster-prone areas face higher rates of most forms of violence compared to those in non-disaster prone regions, highlighting the added vulnerability of these communities.

Adolescent girls are the most vulnerable to recent violence. Non-partner violence (NPV), which includes physical and sexual violence against women by individuals other than a current or former husband, has been experienced by 15 percent of women, a decline compared to 2015.

Like IPV, non-partner physical violence is most common among adolescents and declines with age. Women in disaster-prone areas experience a higher prevalence of non-partner violence compared to those in areas not prone to disasters. 

Nearly two-thirds of IPV survivors had never told anyone about their experience of violence before the survey.

Only half of the interviewed women are aware of where to report about the violence. Less than half of women are aware of 999, while slightly over one in ten knows about 109, highlighting a significant gap in awareness of the helplines.

On average, survivors spent Taka 2,512 on medical treatment and Taka 4,104 on legal costs. 

Rural women incurred slightly higher medical expenses than women in urban areas, while urban women faced greater legal costs than rural women.

The survey findings also showed Intimate Partner violence (IPV) remains widespread for women in Bangladesh, with 70 per cent women having experienced at least one form of it -physical, sexual, emotional, and economic violence as well as controlling behaviours- in their lifetime.