Domestic Violence in Sylhet, Bangladesh: Analysing the Experiences of Abused Women

Abstract

The presence of domestic violence (DV) within marriages is a universal phenomenon and Bangladesh is no exception. The current study explores the nature, pattern and intensity of DV perpetrated against married women, along with an investigation into the socio-economic and cultural factors behind this phenomenon, specifically, in Sylhet, Bangladesh. For this, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 42 victims of DV who sought help from two social welfare organisations that explicitly dealt with the problem of abused women in Sylhet. The victims stated that their husbands, along with their in-laws, perpetrated multiple forms of physical, psychological and sexual abuse on them. The study revealed that there were multiple reasons behind the presence of DV, including, demands for dowry, poverty, a wife’s financial and emotional dependency, extramarital affairs, polygyny, the desire for a male child, an ingrained culture of violence and so on. The victims, it appeared, struggled to remain in wedlock despite repeated instances of abuse. In the absence of any viable alternatives, these women sought the help of organisations as the violence in their domestic spaces spiraled out of control. The study concluded that a continuing state of DV seemed almost inevitable in this region and was a reflection of a woman’s subordinate status in society emanating from hegemonic patriarchal values and traditions.