‘Women abuse in rural Bangladesh still high’

Icddr,b scientists and their partners, in a qualitative study conducted in rural Bangladesh, have found that women abuse still remains very high regardless of changing gender roles that allows women to have a greater access to education, mobility and employment, reports UNB.
Further exploration revealed such changes in gender roles, women-focused NGO programmes, state policies on gender equality, promotion of female education, laws favouring women have generated a perception of male disadvantage.
These contribute to an adverse condition and spousal abuse. Men strongly perceive that development policies and women's empowerment initiatives were bypassing them and unduly favouring women at their expense.
The perception of rural Bangladeshi men towards women's empowerment is a zero-sum game resulting in a high level of wife abuse in rural Bangladesh, said the icddr,b.
The qualitative study, funded and coordinated by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI- UK) while Emory University, USA served as a partner, was conducted during April 2016 to April 2017 in five villages of Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions.
Some 40 key informant interviews, 11 focus group discussion, 23 in-depth interviews and 7 intergenerational trios with females and males have been conducted.
The study highlights the complex, multi-level nature of the drivers of perpetration of wife abuse at individual, household and community/societal level.
The study found that childhood exposure of men to violence particularly against women in the household and community contributes to the creation of perpetrator.
At community level, wife abuse is driven by norms internalised over generations. In an attempt to list women's perceived faults from disobedience to refusal of sex, participants were found to believe that it is a husband's duty to discipline females who voice against gendered or religious norms. Wife abuse can also be a representation of masculinity, with men expected to control wives, provide for families and to be aggressive, with an acceptance that they are violent when frustrated.
Many adolescents, including boys and girls, and some young male (20-28 years) respondents held attitudes that condone wife abuse.
Thus, it seems, gender inequitable attitudes and justification of wife abuse are instilled at a young age, with boys and girls holding conventional views on such violence by the age of 15.
It was found that most women are unaware of their right to go to the police and launch formal procedures.
Their access to formal justice is also limited by their families, rampant corruption and bureaucratic and financial barriers (including transport costs). All of these factors contribute to underreporting, alongside perceptions of wife abuse as a 'private matter'.
The findings of the study have been discussed at a seminar, titled 'Understanding Social Norms and Multi-level Drivers of Violence against Women and Girls in Rural Bangladesh: Implications for Prevention and Response', on Wednesday.
Senior scientist at icddr,b Dr Ruchira Tabassum Naved said potential implications of policies and legislations addressing gender and violence against women should be carefully assessed and adequate measures should be taken to ameliorate any backlash that ultimately harms women.

 

Women abuse in rural Bangladesh still high

Icddr,b scientists and their partners, in a qualitative study conducted in rural Bangladesh, have found that women abuse still remains very high regardless of changing gender roles that allows women to have a greater access to education, mobility and employment, reports UNB. Further exploration revealed such changes in gender roles, women-focused NGO programmes, state policies on gender equality, promotion of female education, laws favouring women have generated a perception of male disadvantage. These contribute to an adverse condition and spousal abuse. Men strongly perceive that development policies and womens empowerment initiatives were bypassing them and unduly favouring women at their expense. The perception of rural Bangladeshi men towards womens empowerment is a zero-sum game resulting in a high level of wife abuse in rural Bangladesh, said the icddr,b. The qualitative study, funded and coordinated by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI- UK) while Emory University, USA served as a partner, was conducted during April 2016 to April 2017 in five villages of Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions. Some 40 key informant interviews, 11 focus group discussion, 23 in-depth interviews and 7 intergenerational trios with females and males have been conducted. The study highlights the complex, multi-level nature of the drivers of perpetration of wife abuse at individual, household and community/societal level. The study found that childhood exposure of men to violence particularly against women in the household and community contributes to the creation of perpetrator. At community level, wife abuse is driven by norms internalised over generations. In an attempt to list womens perceived faults from disobedience to refusal of sex, participants were found to believe that it is a husbands duty to discipline females who voice against gendered or religious norms. Wife abuse can also be a representation of masculinity, with men expected to control wives, provide for families and to be aggressive, with an acceptance that they are violent when frustrated. Many adolescents, including boys and girls, and some young male (20-28 years) respondents held attitudes that condone wife abuse. Thus, it seems, gender inequitable attitudes and justification of wife abuse are instilled at a young age, with boys and girls holding conventional views on such violence by the age of 15. It was found that most women are unaware of their right to go to the police and launch formal procedures. Their access to formal justice is also limited by their families, rampant corruption and bureaucratic and financial barriers (including transport costs). All of these factors contribute to underreporting, alongside perceptions of wife abuse as a private matter. The findings of the study have been discussed at a seminar, titled Understanding Social Norms and Multi-level Drivers of Violence against Women and Girls in Rural Bangladesh: Implications for Prevention and Response, on Wednesday. Senior scientist at icddr,b Dr Ruchira Tabassum Naved said potential implications of policies and legislations addressing gender and violence against women should be carefully assessed and adequate measures should be taken to ameliorate any backlash that ultimately harms women.