75% of Bangladeshi Women Face Marital Violence: National Survey Reveals Crisis

Younger women, aged from 15 to 19 years, experience higher rate of violence in Bangladesh according to a national survey.

More than 75 percent of married women in Bangladesh have experienced violence from their partners at least once during their lifetime, revealed a national survey published on Monday.

Catherine Breen Kamkong from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) emphasized, "This report must mark the beginning of transformative action to prevent violence, strengthen services, and ensure justice for survivors."

The survey highlighted that younger women aged 15-19 years and those from urban slums and disaster-prone coastal regions such as Barisal and Khulna faced even higher rates of violence, exceeding 80 percent.

Conducted by Bangladesh's Bureau of Statistics with UNFPA support, the survey interviewed more than 27,000 women nationwide, documenting cases of physical, sexual, and economic violence, as well as controlling behaviors.

Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, chief of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, stated that the survey provides "robust evidence on the prevalence, causes, and impact of violence," which is "critical for policy response."

The Violence Against Women survey, the third since 2011, indicated a slight decline in reported violence compared to 2015, when 83 percent of women reported experiencing violence.

Bangladesh has been experiencing political turmoil since an August 2024 uprising that overthrew Sheikh Hasina's hardline government.

The Muslim-majority nation with 170 million people is scheduled to hold elections in February 2026, marking the first polls since the mass uprising.

Bangladesh's leading women's rights group previously reported a dramatic surge in rape cases attributed to deteriorating security conditions.

In August, Fauzia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad group, revealed that sexual assault cases in the first half of 2025 nearly matched the total for all of the previous year, which had included the deadly protests period.