ABSTRACT

As in other parts of South Asia, in Bangladesh gender-based violence has been recognized as one of the most blatant manifestations of gender asymmetry (UNICEF 2011). Estimates of the prevalence of married women’s experiences of domestic violence in a lifetime range between 32% (Steele, Amin, and Naved 1998) and 72% (BIDS 2004).1 Domestic violence is aggravated by poverty, poor living conditions, and lack of resources. A recent study found that the prevalence of reported past-year physical spousal violence in Dhaka, Bangladesh is higher in slums (35%) than in non-slums (20%) (Sambisa et al. 2011).