Combating the Rise of Domestic Violence against Women during the Pandemic: The Weaknesses of Bangladeshi Legal Regime

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find out the effectiveness and sufficiency of national and international laws and provisions in minimizing violence in the household or domestic violence in Bangladesh. As COVID-19 has affected the whole country financially, socially and in individual level, intra-family conflicts like domestic violence have increased at an alarming rate. Presence of various laws, provisions, including both national and international such as the Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2010, the Prevention of Cruelty against Women and Children Act, 2000, International Human Rights instruments and some national-international organizations indicate towards the punishment and prevention of the offenders of domestic violence. To find out whether those provisions and mechanisms are sufficient to minimize domestic violence, the authors have studied and analyzed all the facts and circumstances regarding those mechanisms. They selected qualitative method and secondary data analysis as their design to conduct the research. In the consequences of this study, the authors have found that despite being many Acts and mechanisms to deter the offenders from committing violence in the family, the number of incidents has not gone down whereas increased. In the understanding of the sufficiency of mechanisms to minimize the rate of domestic violence, national and international mechanisms are needed to be collaborated and required some new techniques for preventing domestic violence.