What is the safest place on earth? Home, right? Unfortunately, not according to findings.
Based on the recent national adolescent health and well-being survey in Bangladesh, around one in five female adolescents (ages 15-19 years) reported experiencing physical violence at least once in the last 12 months. For married girls, the perpetrators were primarily their husbands (77%) and for unmarried girls it was their mothers (38%).
One in three female adolescents experience verbal/social bullying, and the perpetrators are again husbands and mothers. Sexual harassment was also commonly experienced, with 17% of married and 34% of unmarried female adolescents reporting being sexually harassed at least once in the last 12 months. While sexual harassment was most often experienced while commuting, one in eight married adolescents reported experiencing sexual harassment in their home.
It is not just the case of a developing country like Bangladesh, it happens everywhere -- residing in a developed or developing country does not change the scenario. Hundreds of millions of women and girls around the world suffer from gender-based violence. In 2020 alone, 243 million women and girls experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner; and these numbers don't account for other types of gender-based violence.
In every corner of the world, women and girls experience multiple types of violence -- symbolic, economic, domestic, institutional, and occupational, not to mention the better-known categories of physical, mental, and sexual violence -- just because they are women and girls.
Estimates of how many people experience violence in the family depend on definitions, circumstances, and inquiry methods, but even the lowest figures show that this is a common and serious problem. The impact can be extrapolated further since several forms of violence may occur within the same family, victimizing members at different levels. No matter what form it is, repeated instances result in physical, emotional, and psychological problems. These issues can include self-harm, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, somatic complaints (eg irritable bowel syndrome), and suicidal ideation.
The risk for gender-based violence is higher where violence is normalized.
In many cultures, violence towards girls and young women is accepted as a social norm. It is often viewed as a “private affair,” which prevents others from intervening and prohibits girls and young women from reporting. In many cases, violence is followed by blaming the victim. This makes continued violence permissible and “rationalized.” A victim must never be held responsible for the violence that happens to them -- violence is the sole responsibility of the perpetrator.
Studies show that in 60% of cases where children have been abused, the mother was a victim of violence herself. Furthermore, exposure to violence in the home is linked to juvenile crime. Conduct disorder and antisocial behaviour, even at the age of seven, are powerful predictors of violent behaviour towards partners in adolescence and early adult life. It is a vicious cycle.
Many of the causes of violence are beyond the reach of health professionals. However, in the case of child abuse, acknowledgment by professionals and society that the abuse happens at home, and that it is unacceptable, is the first step towards protecting children. The same is true for all forms of violence that originate in the family.
Next, all health professionals should be more attuned of domestic violence in clinical practice. Health visitors, school nurses, and community midwives should be strategically placed to prevent, identify, and intervene when domestic violence affects children or partners. These professionals do not need detailed knowledge of family law, but they do need to know when and how to seek expert help and how to avoid exacerbating a situation.
To aid with prevention, community-wide mental health interventions like parent support, voluntary support groups, community parent advisors, and school programs to promote better interpersonal skills and reduce violence have all been shown to have positive benefits. Although there will never be a simple or universal solution, communities can and should research and implement programs that is culturally appropriate for their context.
Gender-based violence is the consequence of a socialization process that causes people to acquire misogynistic, violent, and aggressive behaviours. It is critical to teach equal rights in school, educate children on true equality, eliminate prejudices, and gender roles, and raise awareness about new forms of masculinity.
We must not forget that boys and men are also victimized by this patriarchal system, even as they continue to replicate aggressive stereotypes. These ideological measures, along with the specific recommendations set out in the UN Women Annual Report, can help us end gender-based violence by 2030, as the United Nations has proposed.
Shusmita Khan is Knowledge Management and Communications Specialist at the Data for Impact project of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr Ahmed Ehsanur Rahman, PhD is an Associate Scientist at the Maternal and Child Health Division of icddr,b. Anubhab Chakraborty is Communications Specialist at the maternal and child health division of icddr,b under the Global Affairs Canada supported AdSEARCH initiative.