Three out of every four women in Bangladesh have experienced some form of violence in their lifetime, most often at the hands of their husbands, found a national survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The 2024 violence against women (VAW) survey, launched on 13 October in Dhaka, paints a stark picture of the enduring prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) across the country. The full report follows the release of preliminary findings earlier this year and highlights both UN-defined and Bangladesh-specific forms of violence against women and girls.
According to the survey, 76 per cent of ever-married women reported experiencing at least one form of intimate partner violence (IPV) - including physical, sexual, emotional, or economic abuse, as well as controlling behaviors - at some point in their lives. Nearly half (49 per cent) experienced such violence in the past year alone, underscoring the persistence of abuse in households across the country.
Alarmingly, 62 per cent of survivors said they never disclosed their experiences to anyone, reflecting deep-rooted stigma and societal silence around domestic violence.
Beyond domestic abuse, the study found that 15 per cent of women experienced physical violence and 2.2 per cent faced sexual violence from non-partners since the age of 15. These perpetrators often include male relatives, neighbors, or acquaintances, highlighting that women's safety is threatened both inside and outside the home.
The survey defines "intimate partners" as current or former husbands, while "non-partners" include any other individuals.
The 2024 VAW survey is the third national survey of its kind, following earlier rounds in 2011 and 2015. It tracks how patterns of violence have evolved over the past decade and captures disparities across locations and demographics - including women in slums, disaster-prone regions, and those living with disabilities.
While the prevalence of intimate partner violence has fallen from 66 per cent in 2015 to 49 per cent in 2024, the data suggest that progress remains slow and uneven. Many survivors continue to face financial burdens from medical and legal costs, and systemic barriers to justice persist.
More than half of women (54 per cent) reported physical or sexual violence by their husbands during their lifetime. Among survivors of sexual violence, 60 per cent endured repeated incidents in the past year.
During pregnancy, 7.2 per cent of married women faced physical abuse, and 5.3 per cent experienced sexual violence - posing serious risks to maternal and child health.
The report also found that mothers-in-law and male relatives are the most frequent perpetrators of non-partner physical violence, while most cases of non-partner sexual violence involved acquaintances or relatives known to the survivors.
In addition, 8.3 per cent of women experienced technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including image-based abuse, online harassment, and sexual blackmail.
Despite the scale of violence, only 14.5 per cent of survivors sought medical care, while just 7.4 per cent of intimate partner violence survivors and 3.8 per cent of non-partner survivors took any legal action. Less than half of women (48.5 per cent) know where to report abuse, and only 12.3 per cent are aware of the government's VAW Helpline 109.
"The evidence is clear: violence against women remains a widespread human rights crisis in Bangladesh," said Catherine Breen Kamkong, UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh. "Behind these statistics are thousands of women who bravely shared their stories. This report must mark the beginning of transformative action to prevent violence, strengthen services, and ensure justice for survivors."
At the launch event, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, director general of BBS, emphasised that the findings offer a vital evidence base for policy response. "This is the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Bangladesh. We are committed to strengthening the institutional capacity of BBS to generate VAW data while ensuring that data collection remains safe, ethical, and rigorous," he said.
Senior government officials, including Dr Quayyum Ara Begum, member (secretary) of the Planning Commission, Aleya Akter, secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, and Shabnam Mustari, additional secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, attended the event.
