Bangladesh: Information since January 1997 on the availability of protection to female victims of spousal abuse, especially in Dhaka
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGD28703.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bangladesh: Information since January 1997 on the availability of protection to female victims of spousal abuse, especially in Dhaka, 1 January 1998, BGD28703.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac7f74.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the availability of protection to female victims of spousal abuse, especially in Dhaka, is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. Information on protection to female victims of domestic violence is therefore also presented below.
According to a 23 July 1997 Inter Press Service (IPS) article, Bangladesh is the only South Asian country to have "enacted legislation against domestic violence. [However, ] none of the South Asian nations have so far enacted legislation to protect women from marital rape and sexual harassment."
In a July 1997 statement to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Najma Chowdhury, a professor of political science at Dhaka University stated that
the Department of Women's Affairs has established a Cell against Violence against Women to provide legal counselling and assistance in both civil and criminal cases related to violence against women. In the lower levels of administration, unit committees had been set up by the Department to hear cases and complaints, help in mediation, provide counselling and, if necessary, assist with legal proceedings. ... women found it difficult to access and make use of the judicial system. The law enforcement agencies were often hostile or unsympathetic to them. The proof required to file a case of domestic violence or rape was an obstacle. A permanent law reform commission had been set up to review, among other things, existing laws and to address the question of amendment of existing or enactment of new law to safeguard women's rights and to prevent violence against women (M2 Presswire 25 July 1997).
Regarding domestic violence Chowdhury further added that
victims of all kinds of violence needed to report the violence to the police. Often it was considered a private matter to be solved within the family. However, the police was trying to become more accessible to women and four women's investigation cells [in four police stations] staffed by women had been set up [by the Home Ministry] on a pilot basis (ibid.).
A 18 September 1997 Asia Pulse article discusses an "innovative package of primary health care services for Bangladesh's urban poor," provided with the assistance of a US$40 million Asian Development Bank-approved loan. Services relating to domestic violence will include "proper referral to legal, counseling and crisis management services. As health workers are often the first point of contact for victims, they will be trained to provide immediate psychological support, detect cases of assault, and increase community awareness of the issue" (ibid.).
According to the 1993 edition of Encyclopedia of Women's Associations Worldwide, Ain-O-Salish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh Mahila Samity offer legal aid services (47). Both of these women's organizations are located in Dhaka (ibid.).
For information on shelters and legal aid for women victims of violence established by Mahila Parishad (Women's Council), please consult Extended Response to Information Request BGD21349.EX of 6 October 1995, available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Asia Pulse. 18 September 1997. "ADB Loan to Bangladesh for Primary Health Care." (NEXIS)
Encyclopedia of Women's Associations Worldwide. 1993. Edited by Jacqueline K. Barret. London: Gale Research International Ltd.
Inter Press Service (IPS). 23 July 1997. Suman Pradhan. "South Asia-Development: Spotty Record in Meeting Goals." (NEXIS)
M2 Presswire. 25 July 1997. "UN Bangladesh Withdrawal of Some Reservations to Women's Anti-Discrimination Convention." (NEXIS)
Attachment
M2 Presswire. 25 July 1997. "UN Bangladesh Withdrawal of Some Reservations to Women's Anti-Discrimination Convention." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Dhaka. January 1997. Statistical Pocketbook of Bangladesh 1996.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1996. 1997.
Europa World Year Book 1997. 1997.
Research Directorate. Indexed Media Review [Ottawa]. Weekly. January 1997-present.
Resource Centre. "Bangladesh" country file. January 1997-present.
_____. "Bangladesh: Amnesty International" country file. January 1997-present.
Women's Movements of the World. 1988.
Electronic sources: Internet, IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS.
Oral sources:
Unsuccessful attempts to contact two oral sources.
