ICDDR.

B
High levels of abuse identified

Worryingly high levels of abuse were identified, as the study found that many of the women surveyed had been physically assaulted by their husbands: 40% in the urban area studied and 41% in the rural area studied. About 19% of the women in both areas had experienced severe physical violence, which was defined as being hit with a fist or object, kicked or dragged, beaten up, choked, burnt, or threatened/injured with a weapon or object of some kind. In addition, 19% of the women surveyed in the urban area, and 16% of those in the rural area, stated that their husbands had physically abused them during the previous 12 months. Furthermore, a large percentage of these abused women had been attacked repeatedly over that period (Fig. 1 and 2).

Identifying what makes abuse more likely Multi-level analysis was used to identify the factors that made abuse most likely to occur. This revealed that, in both the urban and the rural area, a husband was more likely to abuse his wife if his father had abused his mother or if dowry demands had been made (as these reflect the familys attitude towards the bride). It also showed that the risk of violence fell when there was better communication between husband and wife and when the husband had been educated beyond tenth grade. In the urban area specifically, women whose fathers had abused their mothers were more likely to be abused in turn by their husbands. The risk of violence also increased when women were younger, and when they took part in savings and credit groups. In the urban area, husbands educated beyond the sixth grade were less likely to physically abuse their wives. In the rural area, income-earning by a woman increased the risk of violence.

Assessing what women do to escape abuse With regard to help-seeking patterns and whether or not women could get help, the study found that the majority (66%) of abused women had never told anyone that they were suffering abuse. The main reasons for their silence were (1) the fact that violence in marriage is commonly accepted by society, (2) a fear of social stigma, and (3) the fear that their husbands would become more violent if they found out. The survey showed that 60% of the urban women, and 51% of the rural women surveyed had never received any help. And, only 2% had ever sought help from institutional sources (such as local leaders, doctors or health workers, or the police). In fact, women approached these sources only when they could no longer endure the violence, or when it threatened their lives or the health of their children. Clearly, therefore, it is not enough simply to set up services for abused womenthe barriers which prevent women from accessing such services also need to be broken down. Study conclusions The study made clear that, given the scale of the problem, providing appropriate services to help victims of domestic violence is an absolute necessity. At the same time, however, efforts must also be made to ensure that women know these services are available. Work is also needed to overcome the barriers which prevent women from accessing these services. One way forward, for example, would be the use of community education to remove social stigma and ensure that domestic violence isnt accepted by society. The survey clearly showed that domestic violence in urban and rural areas is influenced by different factors. This must be taken into account if future interventions to curb domestic violence are to be successful.