Changing attitudes, fighting abuse in Bangladesh
Educating both men and women about women's rights helps to reduce domestic abuse
In Bangladesh, a project run by a DFID-supported charity is tackling the causes of domestic聽violence and helping聽abused women and girls聽to make a fresh start in life.
The project, which is based in the impoverished Comilla district, works hard to change the attitudes that lie behind abuse. It educates local men about women鈥檚 rights and shows them how violent聽behaviour can be passed on聽from one generation to another.
One local husband talks about how the project has made him look again at his treatment of his wife. 鈥淚 realized through the training that when I stopped my wife from going outside alone, didn鈥檛 provide enough food, or was abusive to her, all were acts of violence,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t will never happen again.鈥�
The project also recognises the need to raise awareness of domestic violence among women. 鈥淧eer educators鈥� are crucial to achieving this. Selected from within communities, they talk frankly to other local women about rights and abuse issues.聽
鈥淪he never knew before that she had any rights as a wife,鈥� says 1 peer educator about a woman she helped. 鈥淪he came to learn, and now she talks to her husband about women鈥檚 rights. This is a major change. She can make her own decisions, move anywhere - even give advice to other women.鈥�
The project also offers legal representation to abused women to help bring their attackers to justice. 鈥�(The project) helped me with legal support,鈥� says 1 woman who was attacked by her drug-using husband. 鈥淲e took him to court and he apologized. He signed a paper in front of the judge agreeing that he will not take drugs and will provide for the family. Now he is better.鈥�
Training and loans are also provided to women to help them set up small businesses. As they begin to earn money for themselves, the women become less dependent on their husbands. They even find that their husbands鈥� attitudes towards them聽tend to change.
鈥淚 was abused every day,鈥� says one local woman who was married at 13 to a man of聽32. 鈥淏ut I was too scared to protest. Then I took a loan and set up a poultry farm. Once my husband saw me earning, he started respecting me more. Now my husband says: 鈥楽he鈥檚 independent - I can鈥檛 do anything to her!鈥欌��
Facts and stats
The project in Comilla was implemented by the聽Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB), which is supported by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).
DFID is providing 拢43 million to IPPF聽through聽a Partnership Programme聽Arrangement聽from 2008 to 2013.
An estimated 53% of women in Bangladesh aged 15 to 49 who are or have been married聽have聽experienced domestic violence (2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey).
To date, FPAB has provided 25,000 women in poor rural areas with small loans, skills training, reproductive health education and other services.