Women in disaster-affected regions of Bangladesh are facing alarmingly high levels of intimate partner violence, according to the Violence Against Women Survey 2024 conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNFPA. Barisal and Khulna top the list, with 82% and 81% of women, respectively, reporting physical, sexual, emotional, or economic abuse by partners during their lifetime. Even in areas with comparatively lower rates, such as Sylhet and Dhaka, nearly three-fourths of women report similar experiences.
The report also finds that 15–19-year-old girls face the highest rates of violence in the past year. Only 6% of survivors in Barisal, Chattogram, and Rajshahi took legal action, while Mymensingh saw the lowest rate at 5%. Experts note that women in climate-vulnerable areas carry increased household burdens in the absence of migrant male family members, often becoming targets of control and abuse despite taking on leadership roles within the home.
Surveyors interviewed over 27,000 women across urban, rural, slum, and disaster-prone areas. Findings indicate that economic empowerment and real decision-making power for women are critical to reducing violence, yet access to income and autonomy remains limited.
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