Second-year University of Dhaka student Rudra Sheikh appears, at first glance, like any other university student. He attends classes, spends time with friends, and tutors occasionally. But when night falls, the fear he carried from childhood resurfaces.
He sometimes wakes abruptly from sleep, startled by screams in his dreams. His heart races. For a few moments, it feels as if his father is once again beating his mother in the next room. Even today, loud arguments make him uneasy. Raised voices can leave him trembling.
Rudra grew up in a violent household. Throughout his childhood, he regularly witnessed his father physically abusing his mother, shouting at her, throwing objects, and slamming doors. At times, he woke to the sound of breaking glass.
“I was in fourth grade at the time,” Rudra said. “Whenever the arguments started at night, I knew the violence would begin soon after.”
Many nights, he and his younger sister would quietly leave their beds, lock themselves in the bathroom, and sit in silence until the chaos subsided.
“The worst feeling was hearing my mother scream and knowing there was nothing I could do,” he said. “Over time, I became very quiet. I stopped socializing. I was even afraid of going home.”
Rudra said he could never talk about it with anyone. Even though relatives knew what was happening, they dismissed it as a “matter between husband and wife.”
He said, “everyone would say these things happen in every family. But nobody wanted to understand what those ‘small incidents’ do to a child’s mind.”
Rudra’s experience is far from unique. In Bangladesh, thousands of children grow up witnessing domestic violence. While they may not be direct victims, experts warn that the psychological consequences can be severe and long-lasting.
Specialists emphasize that a family should be a child’s safest environment. When that space becomes a source of fear, it can deeply disrupt emotional and psychological development.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a serious social crisis in Bangladesh. Beyond its direct impact on women, it leaves lasting effects on children’s mental health, behavior, and perception of relationships.
According to a 2025 analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh ranks 11th globally for physical and/or sexual violence by intimate partners, and second in South Asia after Afghanistan. Nearly one in two women in the country is estimated to have experienced such violence in their lifetime.
These statistics do not only reflect violence against women; they also point to a wider reality where countless children are growing up surrounded by fear, conflict, and insecurity.
Data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ Violence Against Women Survey 2024, published in February 2025, paints a stark picture: 46.7% of women experienced physical violence, 28.5% faced sexual violence, 32.7% endured psychological abuse, 9.7% suffered economic violence, 50.1% reported controlling behavior by partners
The survey also found that 64% of victims never disclosed the abuse, and only 7.4% pursued legal action.
Experts say silence is often driven by social stigma, financial dependence, and fear of uncertainty after separation, allowing violence to remain hidden within households while its impact on children continues unchecked.
As a result, much of the violence remains hidden inside homes, while its psychological effects continue to shape children’s behavior, personality, and mental health for years.
Professor Salma Akter of the University of Dhaka’s Sociology Department noted that children raised in violent homes often grow up with fear, emotional detachment, and distrust in relationships and sometimes aggressive or revenge-seeking behavior.
Many children are unable to express their emotions. They become socially withdrawn.”
She also explained that long-term exposure to violence during childhood can create “toxic stress,” which may affect brain development and increase the risk of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, low self-esteem, and unstable relationships later in life.
According to UNICEF, one in four children worldwide grows up in a household where the mother has experienced intimate partner violence. The organization says children who witness violence at home are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and relationship difficulties later in life.
UNICEF also notes that children exposed to constant violence often develop “hypervigilance,” meaning they remain overly alert and sensitive to danger. Even loud voices, doors slamming, or ordinary arguments can trigger fear and panic.
Professor Salma Akhter said, “Rudra’s experiences strongly reflect this condition.”
The situation in Bangladesh remains deeply concerning. UNICEF Bangladesh reported in 2024 that around 90% of children aged 1 to 14 experience some form of violent discipline, physical or psychological, at least once a month. Many of these children also witness domestic violence at home.
Research shows that children who grow up seeing violence between parents are more likely to repeat similar behavior in adulthood. Experts describe this as the “cycle of violence.”
Psychiatrist Dr Abdullah Al Mamun said, “for a child, family is supposed to be the safest shelter. But when a child grows up watching violence, screaming, abuse, and fear inside the home every day, that sense of safety slowly breaks down.”
He also said, “such children often develop anxiety, panic, sleep disorders, depression, and behavioral changes. Some become unusually quiet, while others become aggressive. Many also struggle with self-confidence and feel insecure in social relationships.”
He explained that the most concerning part is that violence often passes from one generation to another. Children may eventually start seeing such behavior as normal. Boys may learn aggressive behavior, while girls may become more likely to accept abusive relationships.
Experts warn that long-term exposure to domestic violence can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), extreme fear, low self-esteem, emotional withdrawal, and social isolation among children.
Psychologists say many children cannot properly express their traumatic experiences. Instead, the trauma stays buried inside them and later appears through anxiety, fear, nightmares, anger, poor concentration in studies, or emotional withdrawal.
According to the OECD Gender Index, Bangladesh scored 81.9 in the category of “discrimination in the family,” reflecting deep gender inequality within family and social structures. Analysts say limitations related to property rights, divorce, financial independence, and social empowerment make it difficult for many women to leave abusive relationships.
As a result, children continue growing up in violent environments for years.
Child protection and human rights organizations say mental health support for children in Bangladesh remains extremely limited. Many educational institutions still lack counseling services, while mental trauma is rarely treated seriously within families.
Organizations including BRAC and Ain o Salish Kendra have long called for stronger enforcement of laws against domestic violence, expanded mental health support for children, and school-based counseling services.
Nazma Begum, a member of the women and children’s rights organization Naripokkho, said, “In Bangladesh, domestic violence is still often treated as a private family matter. As a result, the psychological harm suffered by children remains hidden.”
“We usually focus only on the violence against women,” she said. “But we rarely think about the mental condition of the child living in the same environment. Yet these children will shape the future society.”
According to experts, intimate partner violence does not only damage one woman; it weakens the emotional foundation of an entire family. And countless children grow up carrying those invisible scars for years ; just like Rudra, who still lives with memories of fear, panic, and sleepless nights.
Rudra’s many things in his life have changed. But the sounds from his childhood still follow him.
He said, “people think childhood memories disappear with time.But some sounds, some nights, and some fears never completely go