From evidence to policy: addressing gender-based violence against women and girls in Bangladesh

Abstract

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is widely recognized as a significant problem affecting women’s and children’s health and well-being throughout the world. The level of VAWG is very high in Bangladesh. About 60% of ever-married women of reproductive age report lifetime physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by their husbands. The development of effective policies and programmes to address VAWG remains challenging due to a lack of evidence on patterns and correlates of violence perpetration and on interventions that work. VAWG is a complex issue that requires the identification of individual-, household- and community-level risk factors. In addition, mapping differences in vulnerability to VAWG is an important element of targeting strategies in resource poor settings. This study addressed these needs by: (1) Identifying correlates of violence against women and girls at the individual, household, community and district levels using two nationally representative datasets; (2) Mapping vulnerability to VAWG in different districts of Bangladesh through analysis of national data; and (3) Exploring community perspectives on how to address VAWG