Intimate Partner Violence In Bangladesh Research Articles

Association Between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Women’s Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2017–2018

Many women justify intimate partner violence (IPV), resulting in adverse health outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between household ownership of information and communication technologies (ICTs), along with the frequency of listening to the radio and watching television with women’s attitudes towards IPV in Bangladesh. The cross-sectional study analyzed a weighted sample of 20,032 women and used a multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine the association between predictor variables and outcome variables. The results showed that 19.47% of women justified wife beating for at least one reason. We found that household ownership of computers (AOR = 0.73 [95% CI = 0.57, 0.95]), women in households with three ICTs (AOR = 0.67 [95% CI = 0.47, 0.96]), and women who watched television at least once a week (AOR = 0.85 [95% CI = 0.74, 0.97]) were associated with decreased odds of justifying wife beating for at least one reason after adjustment for the frequency of reading newspaper or magazine, age, wealth, education, religion, and type of place of residence. The study suggests that not all ICTs affect women’s attitudes toward IPV equally. Computers and television were more influential than other ICTs. This finding suggests that awareness-building and educational programs targeted towards women via computer and television may deliver better outcomes about gender norms.

The Scenario of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) & Increased Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a significant issue in Bangladesh, despite the recent strides in women’s empowerment. This study investigates whether the empowerment of women plays a role in reducing IPV, while also examining the influence of a patriarchal social structure on this dynamic. Utilizing qualitative research methods, this analysis draws primarily on secondary data sources, including journal articles, prior studies, news reports, and editorials. Process tracing, a storytelling-based analytical tool, is employed to explore the patterns and relationships involved. The findings suggest that while women's empowerment serves as a mitigating factor in reducing IPV, the entrenched patriarchal nature of male dominance initially triggers resistance to both empowerment and IPV reduction efforts. Nonetheless, the study argues that this resistance can be overcome through concerted efforts, involving government and NGO initiatives that focus on effective law enforcement, supportive policies, and the creation of a safe and respectful environment for women. These collaborative approaches offer promising pathways for addressing IPV in Bangladesh.

Why the victims of Intimate partner violence is increasing in Bangladesh: Understanding the Connection Between Hegemonic Masculinity and Intimate Partner Violence’

In Bangladeshi society, the notion of hegemonic masculinity has been existing for a long time and it has contributed to serious forms of violence against women in recent years. However, most of the empirical research that investigates the theoretical aspects of aggressive manhood, hegemonic masculinity, or gender performativity is centred on western societies. The historical and cultural contexts of intimate partner violence in South Asia have not been adequately explored in attempts to contextualize these gender norms and masculine characteristics. Although significant effort has been made in this field of interest, there is a dearth of literature concerning the conceptions of hegemonic masculinity, aggressive manhood, and gender performance to emerging and a typical patterns of violence against women. Thus, the primary objective of this research is to narrow the gap by demonstrating how the development of hegemonic masculinity and violent manhood is related to contemporary intimate partner violence in Bangladesh, specifically by examining the influence of violent manhood in intimate relationships. To conduct this research, a qualitative study has been used based on secondary data analysis that includes the theoretical analysis of Buttler, Connell, Sumerau, and other scholars. The findings of this research indicate that physical violence perpetrated by men against their spouses reinforces a gender system and culture that justifies husbands’ power over their wives. Therefore, masculinity is not a fixed entity embedded just in the body or personality traits of individuals. Rather, hegemonic masculinities are configurations of practice that are accomplished in social activities due to structural, cultural, and other forces which might differ according to the gender relations in a particular social setting.

Intersectional inequalities in younger women\u2019s experiences of physical intimate partner violence across communities in Bangladesh

BackgroundPhysical intimate partner violence (IPV) risk looms large for younger women in Bangladesh. We are, however, yet to know the association between their intersectional social locations and IPV across communities. Drawing on intersectionality theory’s tenet that interacting systems of power, oppressions, and privileges work together, we hypothesized that (1) younger, lower educated or poor women’s physical IPV experiences will be exacerbated in disadvantaged communities; and conversely, (2) younger, higher educated or nonpoor women’s physical IPV experiences will be ameliorated in advantaged communities.MethodsWe applied intercategorical intersectionality analyses using multilevel logistic regression models in 15,421 currently married women across 911 communities from a national, cross-sectional survey in 2015. To test the hypotheses, women’s probabilities of currently experiencing physical IPV among intersectional social groups were compared. These comparisons were made, at first, within each type of disadvantaged (e.g., younger or poor) and advantaged (e.g., older or nonpoor) communities; and then, between different types of communities.ResultsWhile our specific hypotheses were not supported, we found significant within community differences, suggesting that younger, lower educated or poor women were bearing the brunt of IPV in almost every community (probabilities ranged from 34.0–37.1%). Younger, poor compared to older, nonpoor women had significantly higher IPV probabilities (the minimum difference = 12.7, 95% CI, 2.8, 22.6) in all communities. Similar trend was observed between younger, lower educated compared to older, higher educated women in all except communities that were poor. Interestingly, younger women’s advantage of higher education and material resources compared to their lower educated or poor counterparts was observed only in advantaged communities. However, these within community differences did not vary between disadvantaged and advantaged communities (difference-in-differences ranged from − 0.9%, (95% CI, − 8.5, 6.7) to − 8.6%, (95% CI, − 17.6, 0.5).ConclusionsUsing intersectionality theory made visible the IPV precarity of younger, lower educated or poor women across communities. Future research might examine the structures and processes that put them at these precarious locations to ameliorate their socio-economic-educational inequalities and reduce IPV in all communities. For testing hypotheses using intersectionality theory, this study might advance scholarship on physical IPV in Bangladesh and quantitative intersectionality globally.

Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on intimate partner violence: Issues of non-reporting in Bangladesh.

Introduction:COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown as prevention and control measure, forced people globally to limit their movements and to stay at home for extended period of time. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of lockdown on intimate partner violence in Bangladesh.Methods:We conducted a secondary research by employing a Poisson regression model to estimate the effect of pandemic-led lockdown policy on the change in the number of intimate partner violence-related calls during pandemic using national emergency helpline 999 call logs. Data from January 2019 to May 2020 for 64 districts produced 1088 district-month-year observations which had been used for the main analysis.Results:We found a 46% decrease in the incidence rate of intimate partner violence-related calls during the pandemic after adjusting for year, month, district fixed-effects—suggesting, non-reporting of the violence might have exacerbated during lockdown.Conclusion:While increasing rate of intimate partner violence is one side of issue, non-reporting of it has received less attention and during the lockdown non-reporting might grow large and have severe health impacts for women.

Factors associated with women's approval on intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional analysis of latest demographic and health survey 2017–18

BackgroundIn Bangladesh, intimate partner violence (IPV) is high among women faced by their husband. Regrettably, IPV is often justified by the women themselves, resulting in poor social and health outcomes among them. In this paper, we explored the factors that influence the approval of IPV among the women by their husband in Bangladesh. MethodThe present used the data from the most recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017–18. The BDHS 2017–18 followed a two-stage stratified random sampling techniques and the present analysis was carried out among a weighted sample of 20,127 women. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the demographic and socio-economic factors associated with the approval of IPV among the women. ResultsOverall, one in five women (20.5%) approved at least one form of violence by their husband. In adjusted analysis, women who completed secondary education were 57% less likely [AOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.34–0.54] to approve IPV compared to those who had no formal education. Similarly, women who belonged to Hinduism and other religious group were 42% less likely [AOR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.45–0.74] to approve IPV compared to those who practiced Islam. Moreover, women who were exposed to television, participated in the decision on household purchase and moving outside home had 14%, 19%, and 21% less chance for approving IPV by the husband for at least one reason (p < 0.05). ConclusionThis study highlighted that many women in Bangladesh approve violence by their husband which could be a major obstacle to the reduction of violence from society. Behavior change intervention should be implemented, particularly targeting the less-educated Muslim women to increase the awareness on IPV in Bangladesh.

Does gender inequality matter for access to and utilization of maternal healthcare services in Bangladesh?

There is a high prevalence of gender gap in Bangladesh which might affect women’s likelihood to receive maternal healthcare services. In this backdrop, we aim to investigate how gender inequality measured by intrahousehold bargaining power (or autonomy) of women and their attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV) affects accessing and utilizing maternal health care services. We used Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data of 2014 covering 5460 women who gave birth at least one child in the last three years preceding the survey. We performed logistic regression to estimate the effect of women’s autonomy and their attitude towards IPV on access to and utilization of maternal healthcare services. Besides, we employed different channels to understand the heterogeneous effect of gender inequality on access to maternal healthcare services. We observed that women having autonomy positively influenced attaining five required antenatal care (ANC) services (AOR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.98–1.41) and women’s negative attitudes towards IPV were positively associated with five ANC services (AOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.02–1.97), sufficient ANC visits (COR: 1.55; CI: 1.19–2.01), skilled birth attendant (SBA) (AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.05–1.94) and postnatal care (PNC) services (AOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.12–1.84). Besides, rural residency, religion, household wealth, education of both women and husband were found to have some of the important channels which were making stronger effect of gender inequality on access to maternal healthcare services. The findings of our study indicate a significant association between access to maternal healthcare services and women’s autonomy as well as attitude towards IPV in Bangladesh. We, therefore, recommend to protect women from violence at home and mprove their intrahousehold bargaining power to increase their access to and utilization of required maternal healthcare services.

Like a Caged Bird: The Coping Strategies of Economically Empowered Women Who Are Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh

This article identifies coping strategies used by economically empowered Bangladeshi women who are victims of intimate partner violence. Interviews were conducted with 19 employed women who experience abuse at the hands of their husbands and with eight community leaders. A "Cultural Biography" approach was used to determine respondents' understanding of cultural phenomena and to gain life histories from victims in order to explore coping strategies in response to the harm experienced. Findings indicate that even though these women have access to financial resources due to their employment, many of them cope with the abuse by continuing to live in the home with the abuser because of the stigma surrounding divorce and the lack of laws that would grant them guardianship of the children or access to their property. Others live with family or friends in order to avoid the harassment experienced by divorcees. The few who sought more formal help from community leaders (4 of the 19) experienced pressure to remain in the marriage and, thus, the cycle of abuse continued. Community leaders supported the perceptions of the respondents emphasizing how cultural expectations for women's role in Bangladesh limit her ability to leave an abusive home, even if she is employed. As presented by Welby's patriarchal theory, we see that public patriarchy (oppression through norms, laws, and other social forces) supports private patriarchy (where men individually dominate their intimate partner), even for those women who are economically empowered.

Missed Opportunities for Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Through Microcredit: Qualitative Findings From Bangladesh

Microcredit has shown mixed results when used to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV). This study explored microcredit and IPV in Bangladesh by conducting 12 focus groups with married men and women. Participants described challenges to microcredit participation highlighting "missed opportunities" for reducing IPV, including needs to (a) prevent violence sparked by loan disputes, (b) incorporate skill development to improve women's agency as a means of reducing IPV, and (c) mindfully engage men in the loan process to help address men's unequal gender ideologies. These modifications to microcredit programs are proposed to maximize positive change on gender and IPV.

Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: A Scoping Review

Introduction: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has unfavorable consequences for women as well as for newborn babies, which is very serious and preventable public health problem. It is believed to have an excessive occurrence in lives of women in South Asia. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence, risk factors and consequences of IPV in Bangladesh. Methods: A scoping review was carried out based on the past 12 years of posted and gray literature about IPV in Bangladesh using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Only the literature addressing abuses or violence in households or outside including physical, sexual or mental violence on the married woman in Bangladesh were taken into consideration for the study. Results: The overall prevalence of IPV in Bangladesh, the latest reviews of rates ranging from 15.5-82.7%.Most of the IPV in Bangladesh was based totally on the experience of legally married women. The main risk factors of IPV in Bangladesh were women being younger, from lower socioeconomic reputation, from lower academic attainment and lower education of husband, dowry, child marriage, perceived disobedience of wives, family conflict, children had recently been ill, and incapability of to furnish sexual satisfaction. Maternal depressive symptoms, signs of stress, anxiety and constraint to the better health of young children are the main consequences of IPV in Bangladesh. Besides, IPV causes unwanted pregnancy, pregnancy loss in the form of miscarriage, induced abortion, or stillbirth and termination of pregnancy in Bangladesh. Conclusions: Woman’s empowerment may reduce IPV and understanding attitudes towards IPV in cultural context could be crucial for developing interventions to reduce IPV and its consequences.

One Step Forwards half a Step Backwards: Changing Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is still rampant in Bangladesh despite a strong national legal framework and a range of governmental as well as non-governmental initiatives to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG). This paper explores the influence of social norms on the persistence of IPV in Bangladesh as well as a possible backlash occurring despite progress in many areas in relation to tackling VAWG. Qualitative data were collected through 40 key informant interviews, 21 in-depth interviews with survivors of IPV and with married men, 11 focus group discussions and seven intergenerational trios, in two districts of Bangladesh and in Dhaka in 2016. With appropriate consent, interviews were recorded, transcribed and translated from Bengali to English and coded using MAXQDA software. A thematic analysis was then carried out on the coded segments. Findings from our study sample suggest that despite increased awareness of their rights, women and girls still face social norms that create barriers to attaining these rights. Effective governmental and NGO programming might, according to study respondents, result in backlash by men, leading also to changing forms of IPV. Our findings also suggest that increased access to economic resources may not always be protective, while increased education, mobility and access to new technology may be increasing IPV behind closed doors. We argue that the tenacity of the discriminatory gender norms that underlie the attitudes and behaviours of people in Bangladesh is a critical factor for understanding why, despite progress in many areas, IPV persists.

Participation in Income-Generating Activities and Help-Seeking for IPV in Bangladesh – Results from a National Survey of Women

The present study examined whether there was an association between microfinance participation (i.e. microentrepreneurship) and help-seeking social networks and employment and help-seeking social networks of women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in Bangladesh. The study is a secondary analysis of a subsample of 805 women (24.1% of the representative sample) who experienced IPV from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) between the ages of 16 and 49 years. Results indicate that among the subsample of 805 respondents, 29.3% sought help for IPV. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that women who were employed all year round were significantly more likely and microfinance participants were marginally more to seek help for IPV than women who were not engaged in income-generating activities. Implications are discussed.

Assessing the link between witnessing inter-parental violence and the perpetration of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh

BackgroundWe aimed to examine the influence of witnessing father-to-mother violence on: 1) perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV); and 2) endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating in Bangladesh.MethodsThis paper used data from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The analyses were based on the responses of 3374 ever-married men. Exposure to IPV was determined by men’s self-reports of witnessing inter-parental violence in childhood. We used adjusted binary logistic regression models to assess the influence of exposure on husbands’ perpetration of IPV and their endorsement of attitudes justifying wife beating.ResultsNearly 60% of men reported violent behaviour towards an intimate partner and 35.7% endorsed attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Men who witnessed father-to-mother violence had higher odds of reporting any physical or sexual IPV (adjusted OR [AOR] = 3.26; 95% CI = 2.61, 4.06). Men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were also 1.34 times (95% CI = 1.08, 1.65) more likely endorse attitudes justifying spousal abuse.ConclusionsCommitting violence against an intimate partner is an all too frequent practice among men in Bangladesh. The study indicated that men who had witnessed father-to-mother violence were more likley to perpetrate IPV, suggesting an intergenerational transmission of violence. This transmission of violence may operate through the learning and modelling of attitudes favourable to spousal abuse. In support of this, witnnessing inter-parental violence was also associated with the endorsement of attitudes justifying spousal abuse. Our findings indicate the continued importance of efforts to identify and assist boys who have witnessed domestic violence and suggest such efforts should aim to change not just behaviours but also attitudes that facilitate such violence.

Social Networks in the Context of Microfinance and Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: A Mixed-Methods Study

Social Networks in the Context of Microfinance and Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: A Mixed-Methods Study

Men's response to their wives' participation in microfinance: perpetration and justification of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh

ObjectiveThe present study adds to extant literature on the association between microfinance participation and intimate partner violence (IPV) by assessing a national sample of men married to microfinance participants. The key objective was to assess whether there was a positive association between wives' microfinance participation and men's perpetration and justification of IPV in urban areas of Bangladesh. Study designThis study is based on a population-based secondary data analysis. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, data from a national sample of men from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey were analysed using logistic regression analyses. IPV perpetration was measured using a modified Conflict Tactics Scale and justification of IPV was measured based on ‘justification of wife beating’ statements with which men agreed or disagreed. ResultsMen married to microfinance participants were not significantly different from men married to non-participants of microfinance in terms of IPV perpetration in both urban and rural areas. However, the interaction effect of wives' microfinance participation and urban living on men's justification of IPV revealed a significant and positive beta coefficient. Specifically, wives' participation in microfinance was positively associated with men's justification of IPV in urban areas (β = 0.51, P < 0.05). ConclusionMicrofinance organizations in urban areas should bundle microfinancial services with IPV screening and intervention geared toward men and women.

Women's Empowerment as a Protective Factor Against Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Exploration of the Process and Limitations of Its Influence.

Literature on the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) against women and women's empowerment is contradictory. Findings from a recent survey in rural Bangladesh suggest that empowerment is becoming protective even though IPV rates remain high. We construct qualitative case studies exploring factors and social processes underlying relationships between empowerment and IPV in four villages. Empowerment may be protective against IPV in the aggregate, but this relationship can be subverted at the micro level. Interventions are needed to reinforce the potential of empowerment to reduce IPV and counteract factors such as geographic isolation and limited employment opportunities that inhibit empowerment.

Community economic status and intimate partner violence against women in bangladesh: compositional or contextual effects?

In this research, we used a multi-level contextual-effects analysis to disentangle the household- and community-level associations between income and intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in Bangladesh. Our analyses of data from 2,668 women interviewed as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women showed that household income was negatively associated with women's risk of experiencing IPV. Controlling for residence in a low-income household, living in a low-income community was not associated with women's risk of experiencing IPV. These results support a household-level, not community-level, relationship between income and IPV in Bangladesh.

Married Women's Justification of Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: Examining Community Norm and Individual-Level Risk Factors.

One-third of the women worldwide experience intimate partner violence (IPV) that increases their vulnerability to both short- and long-term physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health problems. Surprisingly, IPV is justified by many women globally. Although the IPV literature to date is mostly focused on risk factors associated with actual occurrences, little is known on attitudinal acceptance of such violence. Also, despite the growing scholarship of community influence and health link, IPV research has relatively overlooked the effects of norms at the community level. Using a representative national sample of 13,611 married women in Bangladesh, this study examined the association of community attitudes and women's individual attitudes toward wife beating. The results revealed that women living in communities with permissive attitudes toward wife beating were more likely to justify husbands' beating (OR=4.5). Women married at a younger age, who had less than primary-level education, lived in households categorized as poor or middle class, and did not consume media appeared to be at higher risk for justifying wife beating. This research adds to a growing research body on community influences on health by examining IPV attitudes and community norms link.

The intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh

BackgroundA number of individual risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) have been identified in Bangladesh. However, the etiology of IPV, intergenerational transmission, has never been tested in Bangladesh.ObjectiveWe examined whether witnessing inter-parental physical violence (IPPV) was associated with IPV to identify whether IPV passes across generations in Bangladesh.MethodsWe used nationally representative data of currently married women from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey-2007. Variations in experiencing IPV were assessed by Chi-square tests. Logistic regression models were fit to determine the association between witnessing IPPV and different types of IPV against women.ResultsOne-fourth of women witnessed IPPV and experienced IPV. After adjusting for the covariates, women who witnessed IPPV were 2.4 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0–2.8) times more likely to experience any kind of IPV, 2.5 (95% CI: 2.0–3.0) times more likely to experience moderate physical IPV, 2.3 (95% CI: 1.8–3.0) times more likely to experience severe physical IPV, and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4–2.3) times more likely to experience sexual IPV. Age, age at first marriage, literacy, work status, wealth, justified wife beating, and women's autonomy were also identified as significant correlates of IPV.ConclusionsThis study's results indicate that IPV passes from one generation to another. We make recommendations for preventing IPPV so that subsequent generations can enjoy healthy, respectful, nonviolent relationships in married life without exposure to IPV in Bangladesh.

Interactions between microfinance programmes and non-economic empowerment of women associated with intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the associations between microfinance programme membership and intimate partner violence (IPV) in different socioeconomic strata of a nationally representative sample of women in Bangladesh.MethodsThe cross-sectional...