Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-m8qmq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T18:40:36.928Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Intimate partner sexual violence against women in Sylhet, Bangladesh: some risk factors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2020

Md. Shahidul Islam Open the ORCID record for Md. Shahidul Islam [Opens in a new window]
Md. Shahidul Islam*
Affiliation:
Research and Development (R&D) Cell, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh and Bangladesh Institute of Social Research (BISR) Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh
*
Corresponding author. Email: shahidulsoc@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is considered to be a multifarious critical problem in Bangladesh. This study explored the IPSV correlates in Bangladesh with a specific focus on a rural setting. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 250 randomly selected married women aged 15–49 years in Kandigoan Union Parishad, Sylhet Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh in 2017. Chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression techniques were applied to measure the IPSV correlates. Around 25% of respondents reported experience of IPSV over the previous 12 months. The logistic regression results showed that women who had committed to pay dowry upon marriage, suspected their husbands of having extramarital affairs and reported having poor spousal communication were 2.657 times (OR = 2.257; 95% CI = 0.527–9.662), 4.914 times (OR = 4.914; 95% CI = 1.354–17.829) and 3.536 times (OR = 3.536; 95% CI = 0.910-13.745) more likely, respectively to report experiencing IPSV by their husbands compared with their counterparts. The findings are expected to contribute to formulating an appropriate policy to combat IPSV against married women at the household level in rural areas of Bangladesh.

Keywords

Sexual violenceIntimate partnerBangladesh
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , January 2022 , pp. 54 - 76
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbey, A, McAuslan, P and Ross, LT (1998) Sexual assault perpetration by college men: the role of alcohol, misperception of sexual intent, and sexual beliefs and experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 17(2), 167–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Abramsky, T, Watts, CH, Garcia-Moreno, C, Devries, K, Kiss, L, Ellsberg, M and Heise, L (2011) What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. BMC Public Health 11(1), 109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahmed, SM (2005) Intimate partner violence against women: experiences from a woman-focused development programme in Matlab, Bangladesh. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition 23(1), 95–101.Google ScholarPubMed
Cochran, WG (1963) Sampling Techniques. Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Babu, BV and Kar, SK (2009) Domestic violence against women in eastern India: a population-based study on prevalence and related issues. BMC Public Health 9 (129), 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bates, LM, Schuler, SR, Islam, F and Islam, MK (2004) Socioeconomic factors and processes associated with domestic violence in rural Bangladesh. International Family Planning Perspectives 30(4), 190–199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
BBS (2011) Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Google Scholar
BBS and SID (2016) Report on Violence Against Women (VAW) Survey 2015. Statistics and Informative Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka.Google Scholar
Bhatta, DN (2014) Shadow of domestic violence and extramarital sex cohesive with spousal communication among males in Nepal. Reproductive Health 11(1), 44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bhattacharyya, M, Bedi, AS and Chhachhi, A (2011) Marital violence and women’s empowerment and property status: evidence from North Indian village. World Development 39(9), 1676–1689.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, SY and Ting, KF (2008) Wife beating in South Africa: an imbalance theory of resources and power. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 23(6), 834–852.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, CJ, Ferguson, G, Shrestha, B, Shrestha, PN, Oakes, JM, Gupta, J et al. (2018) Social norms and women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Nepal. Social Science & Medicine 202, 162–169.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cobia, DC, Robinson, K and Edwards, L (2008) Intimate partner violence and women’s sexual health: implications for couples’ therapists. The Family Journal 16(3), 249–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dartnall, E and Jewkes, R (2013) Sexual violence against women: the scope of the problem. Best Practice &Research: Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology 27(1), 3–13.Google Scholar
Das, TK, Bhattacharyya, R, Alam, MF and Pervin, A (2016) Domestic violence in Sylhet, Bangladesh: analysing the experiences of abused women. Social Change 46(1), 106–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dobash, RE and Dobash, R (1979) Violence Against Wives: A Case Against the Patriarchy. Free Press, New York, pp. 179–206.Google Scholar
Flake, DF (2005) Individual, family, and community risk markers for domestic violence in Peru. Violence Against Women 11(3), 353–373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garcia-Moreno, C, Jansen, HA, Ellsberg, M, Heise, L and Watts, CH (2006) Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. The Lancet 368(9543), 1260–1269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerber, GL (1991) Gender stereotypes and power: perceptions of the roles in violent marriages. Sex Roles 24(7-8), 439–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hadi, ST (2010) The face of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: revealing patterns from the existing literature. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology 7(1), 12–20.Google Scholar
Heilman, ME (2001) Description and prescription: how gender stereotypes prevent women’s ascent up the organizational ladder. Journal of Social Issues 57 (4), 657–674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heise, L (1994) Gender-based abuse: the global epidemic. Cadernos de SaúdePública 10, S135–S145.Google Scholar
Heise, L, Ellsberg, M and Gottmoeller, M (2002) A global overview of gender based violence. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 78(S1), S5–S14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heise, L and Garcia-Moreno, C (2002) Violence by intimate partners. World Report on Violence and Health 1, 87–113.Google Scholar
Hines, DA and Saudino, KJ (2002) Intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence: a behavioral genetic perspective. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 3(3), 210–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Islam, MJ, Mazerolle, P, Broidy, L and Baird, K (2017) Exploring the prevalence and correlates associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Bangladesh. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, doi: 10.1177/0886260517730029.Google ScholarPubMed
Islam, TM, Tareque, MI, Sugawa, M and Kawahara, K (2015) Correlates of intimate partner violence against women in Bangladesh. Journal of Family Violence 30(4), 433–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jayasuriya, V, Wijewardena, K and Axemo, P (2011) Intimate partner violence against women in the capital province of Sri Lanka: prevalence, risk factors, and help seeking. Violence Against Women 17(8), 1086–1102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jewkes, R (2002) Intimate partner violence: causes and prevention. The Lancet 359(9315), 1423–1429.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, KB and Das, MB (2009) Spousal violence in Bangladesh as reported by men: prevalence and risk factors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 24(6), 977–995.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, SA (2014) Understanding the role of alcohol during rape: the perfect storm of attention, emotion and expectancies. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health & Human Resilience 16(1), 30–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kalra, G and Bhugra, D (2013) Sexual violence against women: understanding cross-cultural intersections. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 55, 244–249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khurram, N and Hyder, A (2003) Violence against women in developing countries: review of evidence. European Journal of Public Health 13(2), 105–107.Google Scholar
Kimuna, SR, Djamba, YK, Ciciurkaite, G and Cherukuri, S (2013) Domestic violence in India: insights from the 2005–2006 national family health survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 28(4), 773–807.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koenig, MA, Stephenson, R, Ahmed, S, Jejeebhoy, SJ and Campbell, J (2006) Individual and contextual determinants of domestic violence in North India. American Journal of Public Health 96(1), 132–138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kusanthan, T, Mwaba, SOC and Menon, JA (2016) Factors affecting domestic violence among married women in Zambia. British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioral Science 12(2), 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamichhane, P, Puri, M, Tamang, J and Dulal, B (2011) Women’s status and violence against young married women in rural Nepal. BMC Women’s Health 11(1), 19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lodhia, S (2014) Stop importing weapons of family destruction! Cyber discourses, patriarchal anxieties, and the men’s backlash movement in India. Violence Against Women 20, 905–936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naved, RT (2013) Sexual violence towards married women in Bangladesh. Archives of Sexual Behavior 42(4), 595–602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naved, RT and Persson, LA (2005) Factors associated with spousal physical violence against women in Bangladesh. Studies in Family Planning 36(4), 289–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nieder, C, Muck, C and Kärtner, J (2019) Sexual violence against women in India: daily life and coping strategies of young women in Delhi. Violence Against Women 25(14), 1717–1738.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NIPORT, Mitra & Associates and ICF International (2016) Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2014. National Institute of Population Research and Training.Google Scholar
Oshiro, A, Poudyal, AK, Poudel, KC, Jimba, M and Hokama, T (2011) Intimate partner violence among general and urban poor populations in Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 26(10), 2073–2092.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Panda, P and Agarwal, B (2005) Marital violence, human development and women’s property status in India. World Development 33, 823–850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pandey, S (2016) Physical or sexual violence against women of childbearing age within marriage in Nepal: prevalence, causes, and prevention strategies. International Social Work 59(6), 803–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterman, A, Pereira, A, Bleck, J, Palermo, TM and Yount, KM (2017) Women’s individual asset ownership and experience of intimate partner violence: evidence from 28 international surveys. American Journal of Public Health 107(5), 747–755.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Puri, M, Shah, I and Tamang, J (2010) Exploring the nature and reasons for sexual violence within marriage among young women in Nepal. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 25(10), 1873–1892.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rahman, M, Hoque, MA and Makinoda, S (2011) Intimate partner violence against women: is women empowerment a reducing factor? A study from a national Bangladeshi sample. Journal of Family Violence 26(5), 411–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sambisa, W, Angeles, G, Lance, PM, Naved, RT and Curtis, SL (2010) Physical and sexual abuse of wives in urban Bangladesh: husbands’ reports. Studies in Family Planning 41(3), 165–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sambisa, W, Angeles, G, Lance, PM, Naved, RT and Thornton, J (2011) Prevalence and correlates of physical spousal violence against women in slum and non-slum areas of urban Bangladesh. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 26(13), 2592–2618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanawar, SB, Islam, MA, Majumder, S and Misu, F (2019) Women’s empowerment and intimate partner violence in Bangladesh: investigating the complex relationship. Journal of Biosocial Science 51(2), 188–202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saravanan, S (2000) Violence Against Women in India: A Literature Review. Institute of Social Studies Trust, New Delhi, India. URL: http://www.academia.edu/2359534/Violence_against_women_in_India_A_literature_review (accessed 4th February 2018).Google Scholar
Sharma, BR (2005) Social etiology of violence against women in India. Social Science Journal 42, 375–389.Google Scholar
Simister, J and Mehta, PS (2010) Gender based violence in India: long-term trends. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 25, 1594–1611.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Singh, AK, Sinha, RK and Jain, R (2015) Examining nonconsensual sex and risk of reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections among young married women in India. In Djamba, YK & Kimuna, S. (eds.) Gender-Based Violence: Perspectives from Africa, the Middle East, and India. Springer, Cham, pp. 169–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slabbert, I (2017) Domestic violence and poverty: some women’s experiences. Research on Social Work Practice 27(2), 223–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solotaroff, JL and Pande, RP (2014) Violence Against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asia. World Bank, Washington, DC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srinivasan, S and Bedi, AS (2007) Domestic violence and dowry: evidence from a South Indian village. World Development 35(5), 857–880.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Visaria, L (1999) Violence against women in India: evidence from rural Gujarat. Domestic Violence in India 1, 9–37.Google Scholar
WHO (2005) WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women. World Health Organization, Geneva.Google Scholar