End the silence around marital violence

Published : Thursday, 2 April, 2026 at 3:06 PM Count : 8

We are alarmed by the rising number of calls made to the national emergency helpline 999 in 2025, depicting a deeply troubling picture of violence against women within marriages. Per a recent report by Prothom Alo, an average of 51 calls a day were made by survivors alleging abuse by their husbands—the highest in eight years. This marks a 63 percent increase from 2024, when an average of 31 calls were made per day. In 2023, the number was 27. Per the report, more than half of the complaints related to violence against women were linked to spousal violence. A 2024 national survey on violence against women reveals an even grimmer scenario: three in every four women in the country have faced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

The stories are disturbingly familiar. The nurse in Gopalganj who was beaten, threatened with a knife and locked in a room, and the housewife in Dhaka who was forced out into the night after being assaulted, as narrated in the report, are just two examples among many. While the rising number of calls may partly reflect increased awareness and growing trust in the emergency service, as noted by officials, it would be dangerously misleading to interpret this solely as improved reporting. Rather, it underscores the persistence of abuse within marital relationships, rooted in entrenched patriarchal attitudes and a desire to exert control.

Unfortunately, in many cases, even when complaints are filed following police intervention, little progress is made afterwards, even though legal remedies exist under the existing laws. The Gopalganj survivor, for instance, did not seek protection under any legal framework, and her case saw no further progress. Alongside institutional shortcomings, many women don’t want to pursue legal recourse due to fear of family breakdown and social stigma.

Breaking the cycle of marital violence requires better laws and services along with a collective refusal to tolerate abuse in any form. We urge the government to ensure an effective enforcement of the existing laws to address violence against women. Police and local administration must be trained to handle such cases with sensitivity and urgency, ensuring that complaints lead to concrete outcomes. Public awareness campaigns must be intensified so that women are informed of their legal rights and encouraged to seek help. At the same time, deeply ingrained social attitudes that normalise or justify spousal abuse must be challenged through community engagement and education.

FP/MI