Tag: gender

কিশোর-কিশোরীদের প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্য: না বলা কথা

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রবিঠাকুরের বিখ্যাত ছোটগল্প “ছুটি”-র ফটিকের কথা মনে আছে? সেখানে বয়ঃসন্ধিকালীন বয়সের প্রতিভূ চরিত্র হিসেবে ফটিক সম্পর্কে যা বলা হয়েছিলো তা যেন আমাদের কিশোর-কিশোরীদেরই মনের কোটরবন্দী কথা, “তেরো-চৌদ্দ বছরের” ছেলেমেয়েরা “সর্বদা মনে-মনে বুঝিতে পারে, পৃথিবীর কোথাও সে ঠিক খাপ খাইতেছে না… অথচ, এই বয়সেই স্নেহের জন্য কিঞ্চিৎ অতিরিক্ত কাতরতা মনে জন্মায়।“

এই ফটিকের মতই প্রায় সাড়ে তিন কোটি কিশোর-কিশোরীর বসবাস এই ছোট্ট দেশে যাদের বয়স ১০ থেকে ১৯ বছরের মধ্যে। এই সংখ্যাটা নেহায়েত কম তো নয়ই বরং এই সংখ্যা আমাদের সমগ্র জনসংখ্যার ২১ শতাংশ। স্বাভাবিকভাবেই দেশের সামগ্রিক মাপকাঠিতে এই জনগোষ্ঠীর ভূমিকা খুবই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। সেরকম কিছু কিশোর-কিশোরীর সাথে আমরা কথা বলি “জেন্ডার এন্ড এডোলেসেন্স: গ্লোবাল এভিডেন্স”, সংক্ষেপে GAGE প্রকল্পের আওতায় চলা গবেষণার সময়।

বয়ঃসন্ধি হচ্ছে ১০-১৯ বছরের বয়সসীমার মাঝে জীবনের এমন একটি ধাপ, যার মাধ্যমে একটি শিশুর প্রজনন ক্ষমতার পাশাপাশি শরীর ও মনে কিছু পরিবর্তন আসে এবং সে ধীরে ধীরে একটা পূর্ণবয়স্ক মানুষে পরিণত হয়। ২০১৮-তে GAGE প্রকল্পের অধীনে ঢাকা-র তিনটি বস্তিতে একশোরও বেশি বয়ঃসন্ধিকালীন কিশোর-কিশোরী এবং তাদের পরিবার ও পারিপার্শ্বিক সমাজকে নিয়ে চালানো গবেষণায় উঠে আসে কিছু গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ও চমকপ্রদ তথ্য।

তাদের সাথে কথা বলে দেখা গেছে, স্কুল পাঠ্যক্রমে যৌন ও প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্য সম্পর্কে ঠিকভাবে শেখানো হয় না। এই কিশোর-কিশোরীদের বয়ঃসন্ধির ব্যাপারে যথেষ্ট ধারণাও নেই। শতকরা ১৭ ভাগ কিশোর ও ২৭ ভাগ কিশোরী ঠিকমত কোনো জন্মনিয়ন্ত্রণ পদ্ধতির নাম বলতে পেরেছে। ১৫ বছর বয়সী কিশোর রফিক (ছদ্মনাম) আমাদের জানায়, “ক্লাস সিক্সে উঠে শারীরিক শিক্ষা বই থেকে আমরা জানতে পারি বয়ঃসন্ধি সম্পর্কে।“ আদতে তাদের স্কুলের বইতে শুধু একটি অধ্যায়েই কৈশোরকালীন শারীরিক অবস্থা নিয়ে আলোচনা রয়েছে, তাও কেবল মাসিক ও বয়ঃসন্ধি নিয়ে আলোচনাতেই সীমাবদ্ধ।

মজার ব্যাপার হচ্ছে, শিক্ষকেরা যখন ক্লাসে মাসিক নিয়ে পড়ানো শুরু করে, তখন ছেলেদের ক্লাস থেকে বের করে দেওয়া হয়; যার ফলে তারা এ সম্পর্কিত জ্ঞান থেকে দূরেই থেকে যায়! এমনকি একজন কিশোরের সাথে কথা বলে জানা যায়, ছেলেদের ক্ষেত্রে শারীরিক পরিবর্তন নিয়ে বাবা কিংবা মায়ের সাথে আলোচনা করার বিষয়টিও ঘটে না লজ্জা ও সংকোচের কারণে। ছেলেদের ক্ষেত্রে তাদের মনোদৈহিক পরিবর্তন ও প্রজননস্বাস্থ্য নিয়ে আলোচনা বা জানার বিষয়টা সীমাবদ্ধ মূলত বন্ধুদের সাথে আলাপ কিংবা স্কুলের শারীরিক শিক্ষা বইয়ের সেই একটি অধ্যায়ে সীমিত জ্ঞান। মায়েরাও তাদের কন্যাসন্তানের সাথে খোলাখুলি আলাপ করতে স্বচ্ছন্দবোধ করলেও ছেলেসন্তানদের সাথে আলোচনা করতে মোটেই স্বচ্ছন্দ নন। একই কথা প্রযোজ্য কিশোরীদের ক্ষেত্রেও। তাদের অনেকেই বড়জোর মায়েদের সাথে প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্য বিষয়ক আলাপ করে থাকে। শিরিন (ছদ্মনাম) নামের এক কিশোরী জানায়, কেবল বাবা-মা নয়, স্কুলের শিক্ষকরাও তাদেরকে প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্যবিষয়ক শিক্ষাদানের ব্যাপারে সংকোচবোধ করেন।

গেইজ-এর গবেষণায় দেখা গেছে, জরিপ চালানো ৩৯ শতাংশ কিশোরীর স্কুলে ঋতুকালীন সুবিধাগুলো পাওয়া যায়, যেই হার প্রয়োজনের তুলনায় অপ্রতুল। মেয়েদের প্রজননবিষয়ক স্বাস্থ্যসেবার জন্য এলাকার ঔষধের দোকান বা ফার্মেসীর ডাক্তারই প্রধাণ ভরসা। দুঃখজনক হলেও সত্যি যে, অধিকাংশই জানায় যে তাদের এলাকায় ধারেকাছে এমনকি ৫ কি.মি. দূরত্বের ভেতর কোনো প্রাথমিক স্বাস্থ্যসেবার জন্য হাসপাতাল বা ক্লিনিক নেই। কেউ কেউ দূরের সরকারী হাসপাতালে যায় তুলনামূলক কম খরচে ভালো স্বাস্থ্যসেবার জন্য। কেউবা রঙধনু সরকারী কমিউনিটি ক্লিনিকে কিংবা মেরি স্টোপ্স ক্লিনিকে অথবা এনজিও-পরিচালিত ক্লিনিকে যায়।

অর্থাৎ কিশোর-কিশোরীদের যৌন ও প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্যসেবা সরবরাহের প্রতুলতা দূরে থাক, সার্বিক প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্য সম্পর্কে তাদের পরিষ্কার ধারণাই নেই। নেই সচেতনতা সৃষ্টির পর্যাপ্ত প্রয়াস, কিংবা স্কুল ও স্কুলের শিক্ষকদের সে সম্পর্কিত যথাযথ উদ্যোগ। মাসিক বা ঋতুস্রাব ও প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্য যেন এক ধরণের ট্যাবু।

ফটিকের মতই শিরিন ও রফিক কিংবা অন্য সব কিশোর-কিশোরীরা বয়ঃসন্ধির সময়টায় একরকমের জটিল পরিবর্তন প্রক্রিয়ার মধ্যে দিয়ে যায়। গোটা দেশের এই সাড়ে তিন কোটি জনগোষ্ঠী তাদের কৈশোরকালীন সময়টা যখন পার করে, তখন কিন্তু তারা ঠিক আর শিশুদের কাতারেও পরে না, আবার প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক হিসেবেও তাদের গণ্য করা হয় না। তাদের জীবনের এই পর্যায়টা একটি সংবেদনশীল অধ্যায়। তাই তাদের প্রয়োজন একটুখানি যত্ন, উন্নত স্বাস্থ্যসেবা, যৌন ও প্রজননস্বাস্থ্য সম্পর্কিত যথাযথ জ্ঞান, সেইসাথে মেয়েদের মাসিক স্বাস্থ্য ব্যবস্থাপনার উপযুক্ত সুবিধা। উন্নত স্বাস্থ্যসেবার বিষয়টি এসডিজি অর্জনের সাথেও ওতপ্রোতভাবে জড়িত। মোট জনসংখ্যার এই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অংশকে বাদ দিয়ে দেশের উন্নয়নের পথে সাফল্য কঠিন হয়ে দাঁড়াবে।

Photo credit: Sulekha.com licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

COVID-19 and Domestic Violence: Caring States?

Posted on | by BIGDAdmin | Leave a Comment on COVID-19 and Domestic Violence: Caring States?

Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID)’s expert on the politics of domestic violence sets out vital ways that states can address domestic violence during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The rising levels of domestic violence that have accompanied the lockdowns associated with the coronavirus pandemic have led to urgent appeals from the UN Secretary General, and also from women’s rights groups, for states to focus on and address this issue. The initial dip in reports of incidents of violence, perhaps because victims were unable to report, due to their now continuous proximity to the perpetrator, have been overturned as the lockdown continues in many parts of the world. According to UN WOMEN 2020, being stuck in close quarters with a perpetrator of abuse and having no way of seeking recourse increases the chances of incidents taking place.

What is different from other crises the world has faced, such as natural disasters or global health crisis like SARS, is that this time different groups and actors are talking vocally and publicly about domestic violence and acknowledging that it must be addressed. But two pressing question need answering. First, does the rhetoric match the reality of what states and other organisations are doing? And, second, might this crisis provide an opportunity to rethink the importance of the domestic sphere and its link to what is done in the public space (policies and how these are implemented)?

Media reports within the UK reveal that even in rich countries there is inadequate funding for charities that work with survivors and for the provision of shelters to women who want to escape. This is not an exception. In many developed countries, addressing domestic violence came as an afterthought. Only after lockdown were policies announced and only once the alarm was raised by local rights-based groups and international agencies. Perhaps this shows that the ‘domestic’ in humanitarian, emergency response and in governance strategies remains on the backburner.

The picture is even direr in developing countries – where the risk of domestic violence has increased, but where states are struggling to ensure food supply, testing and care for COVID-19 patients and to gain public compliance for lockdown measures.  Comparative research into domestic violence by ESID in six countries – Bangladesh, India, Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda – revealed that although each of these countries had passed legislation to outlaw domestic violence, they all have an inadequate number of shelters, limited numbers of one-stop crisis centres, limited funding for the provision of legal aid and other services, and limited numbers of trained professionals at the frontline to deal with survivors of violence.

But in most of these countries, there were hotlines one could call for assistance, an active group of women’s rights organisations that were willing to provide help, including legal aid, and a committed if weakly capacitated women’s ministry to push the agenda forward. What can policymakers and states do to ensure that the issue of domestic violence is addressed during this time of crisis? How will states take into account the needs of this most vulnerable group, who are not safe at home?

Perhaps the starting point should be to focus on what these countries already have in place. But for that resources are needed.

  • So, the first step would be to allocate resources so the current services can be kept running – in many cases, that would mean an increase in funding.
  • Second, there is a need to extend the current shelter capacity by repurposing empty space and ensuring self-isolation/quarantine safety in these spaces.
  • Third, in most of these countries, mobile technology is widely present. So a focus on strengthening the helplines may be an effective and low-cost way of reaching those experiencing domestic violence, including through the use of messaging services and applications that can be used in a more surreptitious manner to avoid detection.
  • Fourth, raising awareness is key. Service providers, police and the judiciary need to fully recognise the link between COVID-19 lockdown and domestic violence. Public awareness campaigns are needed to spread the message about where women can go for help.
  • Fifth, ensure support for grassroots women’s organisations who work at the community level and engage these organisations in long-term planning on how to tackle domestic violence as the lockdown continues, often for an indefinite period.
  • Sixth, place women and their vulnerabilities at the centre when framing policies and long-term solutions around social and economic recovery.

ESID research shows that women’s organisations and policy coalitions have played a vital role in achieving the adoption of domestic violence laws. Now they have a key role during this time of crisis in raising awareness and keeping the pressure on the state to implement and expand services.

This pandemic has revealed many blind spots in the way that development scholars and practitioners think and operate; now is the time for rethinking the false and damaging divisions between the private and public spheres, for renegotiating the relationship between women and the state. It is the moment for states to become genuinely caring states.

Listen to a podcast with Sohela and Sam Hickey presenting the findings of their book on domestic violence policy.

Sohela Nazneen is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. 

*This blog was originally posted in the Effective States and Inclusive Development (esid) website*

Image: Bangladesh Women Rally For Their Rights. Photo credit: Musfiq Tajwar, Solidarity Center by CC BY-NC 2.0 license

Fear Of Uncertainty An Unexpected Common Ground

Fear Of Uncertainty: An Unexpected Common Ground

Posted on | by BIGDAdmin | Leave a Comment on Fear Of Uncertainty: An Unexpected Common Ground

Young researchers from the GAGE program realise they are in the same boat as their adolescent peers from the urban slums of Dhaka—but they are not facing the same storm.

“If people are stuck in their home then they won’t be able to eat properly. Even missing a month’s work is a huge deal for us poor people. People like us have to go outside and work hard to earn money, right?  If this continues, we’ll just have to starve to death” (Female, age 19)  

Over the last two months, the pandemic has spread into Bangladesh and morphed to the community transmission stage, with the number of cases rising at an alarming rate.  COVID-19 spares no-one; it does not heed the socially constructed bindings that separate us by gender, status, age, education or wealth. However, even at the hands of this nondiscriminatory disease, the least privileged are the ones suffering the most.

As researchers, we have the privilege of working from home, living our lives as routinely as possible. We’re worried about the world and our loved ones, some facing the mental health issues that come with being stuck at home. However, people without a stable income or formal employment are at an unfair disadvantage that is far worse. For these vulnerable populations, they have to deal with tension and stress on a day-to-day basis. While we bemoan our boredom and ‘Instagram’ our work-from-home struggles, the working-class population can’t ‘afford’ to be bored or take their mental health into consideration.

In the narrow alleyways of the slums in Dhaka, basic utilities are rare. If some houses are lucky enough to have access to electricity, gas or water, the services are rarely uninterrupted. The idea of social distancing is almost laughable in these settlements, where families of six or eight are packed into single rooms. With several households sharing a common bathroom and kitchen, quarantine and isolation is an alien concept.

During the pandemic, adolescents in the GAGE programme are experiencing a different reality compared to their privileged peers. These adolescents are having to grow up far too soon, fast-forwarding through a critical phase of development. The impact of COVID-19 on their education and mental health is of great concern.

Our local team of researchers embarked on a journey to tackle this issue, focusing on adolescents facing the COVID-19 pandemic, located in low-income settlements in three areas of Dhaka – Rupnagar, Gazipur Sadar, and Mohammadpur. We had a list of 31 contacts from a baseline study conducted in 2018, from which we reconnected with 16 adolescents. This research was different for us, given the circumstances. However, we made the best out of the situation by utilising digital tools to coordinate remote working, using services such as Google Sheets, WhatsApp and Google Hangouts.

We thought we wouldn’t have much time during our phone interviews with each of the adolescents – leaving only a narrow window in which they could open up. However, to our surprise, most of the respondents were quite eager to talk, as they already had a rapport with the researchers from the previous baseline study. One challenge we did face during the interviews was finding a separate space devoid of external interruptions and noise, as ‘private space’ is not a “choice” but a luxury that most of the respondents could not afford. However, we tried to make the interviews as accommodating for the respondents as possible, keeping the questions simple and short.

The older adolescents we communicated with were quite well-spoken and aware of the COVID-19 pandemic. They knew that it was an infectious disease, and that they needed to maintain hygienic practices to prevent it. In contrast, the younger ones did not seem to understand the situation at all and were just following their parents’ instructions. One female adolescent (age 16) expressed her annoyance about not being able to go to school, “I don’t like staying at home all day because I can’t talk with any of my friends.  My neighbours are boys, so I cannot interact with them either since it is not accepted in our house. If I was attending school or coaching classes now, I would have fun and hangout with my friends. But the lockdown has made everything boring.”

Nearly all the respondents expressed their frustration and anxiety about the situation, worried about how their families would stay afloat in this economic crisis.  Being stuck at home for so long, not meeting their friends, is taking a toll on their mental health. They were also stressed about their families’ health, and felt quite helpless. A 15 year old boy told us, for example, how anxious he feels about his family members leaving the house. He said, “Every time my brothers come back from the bazaar, I panic. What if they catch the disease and it spreads to the family? They maintain hygiene, but they go out frequently and don’t always wash their hands every time. My mom and I keep telling them, but they say nothing will happen. I feel annoyed during these times, because they aren’t taking it seriously.”

Most of the respondents’ families were completely dependent on the income earned by their parents or siblings, which had come to a halt. Three of the adolescents in our sample had started to work after dropping out of school, but were compelled to stop due to the lockdown. This means that buying groceries, paying rent and getting by in the upcoming months is going to be very difficult. Although the government has been distributing aid, most of the respondents stated that help was yet to reach their households. One of them even shared concerns about corruption, referring to cases of local government representatives distributing relief only to their relatives.

Most of the respondents were getting information related to COVID-19 from the TV and through local “miking”, with few relying on online sources like Facebook and YouTube. Some of the adolescents stated that they did not have access to the internet at all, and not everyone in their class had a phone. Previously, school or extra classes were their only form of interaction with peers. In fact, none of the respondents were happy about schools being closed or exams being postponed. They are stressed about not being able to study, falling behind in their work, and performing poorly in their exams.

Most of the underprivileged adolescents had not been given any work at home and were trying to study by themselves. However, they all stated that they could not concentrate due to the pandemic, with thoughts of people dying and worries about the future. Moreover, most of the school-going adolescents do not have any support or guidance from their teachers. None of their family members are educated enough to help them with their studies, although their families are quite supportive.

Although we were offering a Tk.100 phone top-up to respondents as gratitude for giving us their time, we realised that simply getting the chance to open up about their anxieties was a much needed release for them. This was when we felt like the researchers and respondents were in the same boat, but fighting different storms. Perhaps, the acknowledgement that on some level, we shared the same hopelessness, despair, and fear in the face of a global disaster is what made the rapport building easy.

We are facing unprecedented times due to this pandemic. Researchers worldwide are conducting remote research, acquiring real time insights on the impact of the virus. As we continue our fight against COVID-19, we must always keep in mind the vulnerable adolescents who continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.

*This blogpost was originally written for the GAGE Programme*

Photo credit: “Mitaly” by Ricci Coughlan/DFID under CC BY-NC 2.0 license

Bangladeshi Women Playing a Crucial Role in the Fight Against COVID-19

Bangladeshi Women Playing a Crucial Role in the Fight Against COVID-19

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With limited health sector capacities, COVID-19 will be fought in Bangladesh’s homes where women play an outsized role.

Less than a month since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic on March 11th, the global burden of infections has reached 1.3 million and the official death toll nearly 75,000. The number of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths has started to climb in Bangladesh as testing finally expands to hundreds of people. Within Bangladesh, stress levels are high as anxiety rises about the vulnerability of our near and dear ones and the possibility of future economic fallout from a severe global lockdown.

Yet for health systems like Bangladesh’s, there are no high-tech solutions. Our primary line of defense against this global pandemic is to stay home to limit the spread of the disease and to self-isolate if showing symptoms. Globally, most countries of the world have declared national lockdowns with varying degrees of enforcement and success. In Bangladesh reports coming from even remote rural areas suggest that law enforcement has been mobilised extensively to restrict people’s movement and prevent large gatherings. Mosques have restricted the number of people praying together to five at a time. The virus’ primary strength is the speed with which it can spread, and so restricting social interaction to limit contagion is our weapon of choice against it.

The recommendations are to stay home, wash your hands, do not touch your face and wear a mask and shelter in place if sick. The cities of Bangladesh have emptied out as there are few prospects for earning in cities under lockdown. The day after lockdown millions left for their rural homes. There has been some confusion regarding how the formal workforce is affected. It is widely reported that garment workers, mostly women, who are the main formal sector workers adversely affected by cancelled orders and lockdown orders, have been caught in a confused medley of policies. Their predicament is visible and deserves proactive action.

In all of this confusion, the very forces on whom we will have to rely to combat this scourge, have remained invisible and absent from official and policy discourse. The women and girls who are confined to their homes, or to their role as domestic helpers in other people’s homes, are conspicuously absent in policy discourse. Yet, the more that we learn about this virus and how to cope with it given the realities about our health sector capabilities, the more we realise that it is the home which is the locus of action and intervention, and where women and girls are central to our response to the pandemic.

In Bangladesh, as in the rest of the world, women are the primary caregivers of the young, infirm and the elderly. A recent comparative study on children’s nutrition shows that women spend the majority of their time in domestic work and more so than other low and middle income countries. My own work showed that married and unmarried girls spend considerably more time on domestic work, caregiving work in particular, than boys. As the disease strikes this burden of care is likely to increase disproportionately for women and girls.

In addition to the care responsibilities, the directives about cleanliness and hygiene are also likely to intensify the workloads of women and girls who are the ones implementing instructions on wiping down high touch surfaces, washing clothes, maintaining general hygiene as well as the creative management of dwindling resources to put food on the table as provisions dry up.

Gender disparity in care responsibility may not be something that can be addressed easily in the short run. However, there are associated concerns with regard to stress levels and potential fallout in terms of domestic violence that do need urgent attention. A recent report from UN Women warns of the possibility of increased violence against those who are at the frontlines of care particularly, as household members cope with the stress of illness and potential loss of lives and livelihoods.

As far as we can tell, behavioral change campaigns ignore the role of girls and women and their frontline status in the war against this virus. It is unclear how these messages are received in homes all around the world. A message from UN Women highlights the vulnerability of women and girls as potentially having to bear the brunt of stress in terms of increased domestic violence. However, there is also a need to recognise their key role in the implementation of the barrage of directives about cleanliness which are propagated through the airways, through broadcast channels and nationwide text messaging.

The role of primary caregivers at home is central to current strategies of combating contagion and containing spread. WHO emphasises testing to be able to isolate those who are infected. That puts women and girls on the frontlines. There is evidence that severity of illness is linked to viral load which is why healthcare workers have been infected in high numbers. As primary caregivers in the home, women and girls are therefore at higher risk too, and so they should be the focus of Covid-19 testing as well. In communities and households, girls and women recognise that being on the front line of care makes them both vulnerable to Covid-19 but also well positioned to help stop the spread. It is high time we recognise this essential reality and engage women and girls in meaningful ways to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sajeda Amin, a senior sociologist and demographer, leads the Population Council‘s work on livelihoods for adolescent girls.

Does women’s time in domestic work and agriculture affect women’s and children’s dietary diversity? Evidence from Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Ghana, and Mozambique

Looking beyond universal primary education: Gender differences in time use among children in rural Bangladesh

Covid-19: Women front and centre

* The article was originally written for Netra News* 

Photo 1: By Adrien Taylor on Unsplash

Photo 2: Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Alamy Stock Photo
Taken from Netra News: April 2nd 2020, Dhaka, Bangladesh — A mother with her child waits for rickshaw during countrywide lockdown as a preventive measure against the Covid-19. 

Quarantine in Home or Prison? Domestic Violence in the Time of COVID-19 and What it Holds for Bangladesh

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The curse of the COVID-19 pandemic has inadvertently increased the threat of domestic violence worldwide. As more cities are going under lockdown with stay-at-home orders, support organisations and counselling centres have expressed their fears on the possible rise of violence at home. Increased abuse is a common phenomena during any crisis period – be it political conflicts, financial crisis or disease outbreaks.

The Guardian reported that the Coronavirus is ‘fuelling’ domestic violence. Social distancing could be a nightmare for people facing abuse at home, as it entails that they will be ‘trapped’ with their abusive partners. According to legal advocates and women’s rights activists, violent tendencies among abusers is triggered by isolation and stress. The stress caused by the pandemic is likely to cause more frustration and anger. Abusive partners are likely to justify their atrocity using isolation tactics to escalate their aggression. It is important to mention, that not only women and children are subject to violence; men too can become victims.

Activists worldwide fear that travel restrictions would impede victims from escaping their households, leaving them severely vulnerable. In many cases, it would be impossible for victims to reach out for help by calling the advice centres. Phone conversations cannot be made as calls are likely to be monitored constantly by the perpetrators. Stepping outside the house and going to workplaces, visiting families and neighbours are essential protective measures for victims of domestic abuse; but these have now been put to halt.

Abusive partners can inflict abuse in a multitude of ways in addition to violence – such as by withholding necessary items like hand sanitizers from victims, withdrawing health insurance and sharing misinformation about the pandemic to frighten victims, and in some cases, preventing them from seeking appropriate medical assistance.

Tensions are escalating worldwide. In China, newspapers have reported a significant spike in domestic violence. According to Wen Fei, founder of an anti-domestic violence non-profit in Hubei Province, the number of domestic violence cases reported to the police stations had tripled in February compared to the previous year. In the United States, the national domestic violence hotline received increasing volumes of complaints against abusers, who have been misconstruing the COVID-19 crisis to isolate, manipulate and control victims. Abusers have also prevented their victims from seeking financial and medical assistance. According to activists in Italy, phone calls to their domestic violence hotline dropped sharply, but desperate text messages and emails pleading for help were received. A state drop-in centre at Brazil also noticed a rise in cases of domestic violence after being hit by the pandemic. In Spain, fatalities related to domestic violence have been reported during the lockdown, where an individual murdered his 35-year old wife, a mother of two.

With the increasing incidences of domestic violence, countries are undertaking different initiatives to combat the crisis. In China, the hashtag #AntiDomesticViolenceDuringEpidemic #疫期反家暴 has been trending in the social media platform Sina Weibo. Upon the realisation that reaching out for help might not always be feasible for victims, counselling centres in Germany have advised citizens to be vigilant and keep an eye out for their neighbours. “If you hear loud shouts or cries in neighbouring apartments, call the police”, advised the Federal Association of Women’s Counselling and Rape Crisis Centers (bff) of Germany. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, parliamentary leader of the Green Party, has asked the government to free up money for safe houses for survivors. In the United Kingdom, Dawn Butler, Women and Equality spokesperson of the Labour party, asked the Prime Minister to implement emergency funding to help people in danger of domestic abuse. Special police powers to evict perpetrators during lockdown have been called, and authorities are asked to waive court fees for protection orders. The Spanish government has ensured that they will not be fining women if they leave the house for filing complaints. In our neighbouring country India, police in the state of Uttar Pradesh have launched a new helpline for domestic violence as cases continue to rise.

It is now important to assess where Bangladesh stands. Violence against women remains an endemic issue in the country. According to Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, 4,622 women became victims of abuse in 2019. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics reported 54.2% of married women facing lifetime physical and sexual intimate partner violence. From January-February 2020, 29 women were murdered by their husbands, according to the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). Under the shadow of “sticky” social norms, these cases remain mostly unreported.

The county has legal tools to combat domestic violence. The demand for having a separate bill for domestic violence emerged in the 1990s and women’s rights organizations formed a coalition named Citizen’s Initiative against Domestic Violence (CiDV) in 2007 to initiate the drafting process. After successful advocacy and lobbying, the government adopted the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act in 2010. The national helpline centre has a 24 hour toll-free hotline number – 109. However, the law’s implementation remains difficult with various kinds of resistances arising when translating into action.

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed Bangladesh to the risk of massive economic fallout. Unemployment is spiking overnight and the country lacks necessary health care facilities. With frustrations and anxiety building at the household level, it is now crucial to assess our country’s readiness to learn from the global domestic violence crisis. Processes need to be implemented to ensure that complaints can be made safely and privately, followed up with rapid and effective response from the authority. Cooperation between legal and development agencies, research institutes and the government is needed to effectively respond to this crisis. Hotlines need to be more responsive; service providers more approachable. If such measures are not immediately implemented, the county will fail to counter the potential deluge of violence and abuse in the family.

Pragyna Mahpara is a Research Associate in the Gender and Social Transformation Cluster of BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, BRAC University. 

Photo: By Tumisu from Pixabay