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Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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Intimate Partner Violence in Bangladesh: A Scoping Review 

 

Jhantu Bakchi1*, Satyajit Kundu2, Subarna Ghosh3, Sumaiya Akter4 

 
1. Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh,                                                

Email:  jbakchi.nfs.pstu@gmail.com  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5599-9884 (*Corresponding author). 

2.Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, 

Patuakhali-8602, Bangladesh, Email: satyajitnfs@gmail.com ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9610-1479 

3. Lecturer, Department of Public Health Nutrition, Primeasia University, Bangladesh,                                        

Email: subarnaghosh.pstu@gmail.com  

4. Department of Food Microbiology, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali-8602, 

Bangladesh, Email: sumaiya.nst@gmail.com  

 

Abstract: Introduction: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has unfavorable consequences for 

women as well as for newborn babies, which is very serious and preventable public health 

problem. It is believed to have an excessive occurrence in lives of women in South Asia. The 

objective of this study is to describe the prevalence, risk factors and consequences of IPV in 

Bangladesh. Methods: A scoping review was carried out based on the past 12 years of posted 

and gray literature about IPV in Bangladesh using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Only 

the literature addressing abuses or violence in households or outside including physical, 

sexual or mental violence on the married woman in Bangladesh were taken into consideration 

for the study. Results: The overall prevalence of IPV in Bangladesh, the latest reviews of 

rates ranging from 15.5-82.7%.Most of the IPV in Bangladesh was based totally on the 

experience of legally married women. The main risk factors of IPV in Bangladesh were 

women being younger, from lower socioeconomic reputation, from lower academic 

attainment and lower education of husband, dowry, child marriage, perceived disobedience of 

wives, family conflict, children had recently been ill, and incapability of to furnish sexual 

satisfaction. Maternal depressive symptoms, signs of stress, anxiety and constraint to the 

better health of young children are the main consequences of IPV in Bangladesh. Besides, 

IPV causes unwanted pregnancy, pregnancy loss in the form of miscarriage, induced 

abortion, or stillbirth and termination of pregnancy in Bangladesh. Conclusions: Woman’s 

empowerment may reduce IPV and understanding attitudes towards IPV in cultural context 

could be crucial for developing interventions to reduce IPV and its consequences. 

 

Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence, Health Consequence, Scoping Review, Bangladesh 

 

Introduction: The occurrence of 

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), a gross 

violation of human rights, is one of the 

most prevalent abuses throughout the 

world and common varieties of violence 

towards women such as physical, sexual, 

and emotional abuse and controlling 

behaviors via an intimate companion, low 

and middle-income nations have the 

greater incidence1. Intimate partner 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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violence is really common in all fields like 

socioeconomic, spiritual, and cultural 

groups. Basically, women are reported as 

being victims of IPV. Intimate partner 

violence (IPV) is one of the most common 

forms of violence against women 

worldwide2.A large number of research 

work documents the prevalence, 

determinants, and consequences of men’s 

violence against their wives and female 

partners. A review of population-based 

surveys from around the world identified 

that between 10% and 69% of women in 

various settings had been physically 

assaulted at least once by an intimate male 

partner3. 

While domestic violence is a universal 

problem, it is a problem of extreme 

magnitude in less developed countries 

such as Bangladesh4. In Bangladesh, 

several studies identified a number of risk 

factors for IPV. For example, studies have 

identified that the risk of experiencing 

violence was significantly higher among 

younger women5,6, less educated 

women7,8, women with less educated 

husbands7, women living in poor 

households7, and women who believed 

their husbands were justified in beating 

them in certain circumstances9.Evaluation 

of DHS information from 10 countries also 

reported that physical or sexual IPV ever 

stated by presently married women ranged 

from 17% in the Dominican Republic to 

75% in Bangladesh in 200810. A hospital-

based survey in Bangladesh indicated that 

43% of females experience physical IPV 

in their lifetime, 35.5% of them 

experienced sexual IPV, and 32.5% 

experienced each physical and 

sexualIPV11.An estimated three in every 

five ladies in Bangladesh experience 

violence along with physical or 

sexualviolence12. One of the most frequent 

forms of violence towards females 

globally is abuse through the husband or 

partner3.A study conducted in Bangladesh 

reported that more 94% of women had 

experienced physical, sexual, or 

psychological violence at some point in 

their marriage or intimate relationship4. 

Several consequences have been identified 

due to IPV, for example, there is a 

negative consequence of IPV on maternal, 

physical, and mental health13–15.This 

negative consequence of IPV on women 

may also affect their children’s health 
directly and indirectly16,17. 

Relevant information about IPV, the 

elements which generate the underlying 

causes where women experience IPV in 

these settings, with also to pick out the 

determinants of IPV and above all have to 

recognize its alarming incidence rates in 

Bangladesh as well as in South Asia. 

Bangladeshis are presently transitioning 

from low to middle-income nations rapidly 

but still, women are faced with undesirable 

violence from their partners, and thus IPV 

in Bangladesh is not only a human right 

issue but also a public health issue. Hence, 

this study is aimed to evaluate literature 

about IPV in Bangladesh to describe the 

prevalence, risk factors and consequences 
of IPV. 

 

Methods: Arksey and O'Malley’s (2005) 

five stages for scoping literature reviews 

were followed (see Figure 1). 

Stage 1: Defining the research question: 

The research question was defined in 

collaboration with all researchers of the 

team with the identification of some 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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abuse/form which may lead to IPV. Three 

major factors were considered which are 

known as potential forms of IPV in 

Bangladesh and which guided the review. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 1: Arksey and O’Malley’s framework stages 

for conducting a scoping review 
 

Operational definition- 

Domestic Violence- Any abusive, violent, 

coercive, forceful or threatening act or 

word inflicted by one member of a family 

or household on another can constitute 

domestic violence. It includes everything 

from saying unkind or demeaning words to 

grabbing a person’s arm, to hitting, 

kicking, choking or even murdering. 

Sexual harassment/abuse- is unwanted 

sexual activity, with perpetrators using 

force making threats or taking advantage 
of victims not able to give consent. 

Gender-based violence-Gender-based 

violence is a phenomenon deeply rooted in 

gender inequality and continues to be one 

of the most notable human right violation 

within all societies. Gender-based violence 

is violence directed against a person 

because of their gender. Both men and 

women experience gender-based violence 

but the majority of victims are women and 
girls. 

Stage 2: Identifying relevant studies: 

The inclusion and exclusion criteria and 

search strategy were developed and 

implemented with the input of the research 

team and focusing on the objective of the 

study. The inclusion and exclusion criteria 

are detailed below (see Table 1). 

Our search strategy included: electronic 

databases, grey literature and reports on 

newspapers. The following databases were 

searched for spouse abuse/beating/ 

battering, home violence, intimate 

companion violence, spousal abuse, 

accomplice abuse, gender-based violence, 

and Bangladesh. Most of the articles were 

searched in PubMed, Research Gate, 

Embase and only open access articles were 

collected from them. The search was 

conducted on March 10, 2019, and 

updated up to 15 December 2019 

including papers from 2007 (12 years prior 

to the initial search). Reference lists of 

included citations, key reports, 

organizational and other websites were 

hand-searched. 

Stage 3: Study selection: Two researchers 

separately reviewed assigned titles and 

abstracts for relevance. Articles that were 

identified as relevant by either reviewer 

were considered for full-text review. Two 

researchers again separately examined full 

texts for their assigned papers for 

relevance; another two researchers were 

also appointed for resolving 

disagreements. 

 

Stage 4: Charting the data: Data were 

abstracted by one reviewer and checked by 

another reviewer including: year of 

publication; purpose; participants/ 

population  involved; type of nurse 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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addressed; study design; research site(s); 

trends; outcomes and recommendations 

related to IPV. 

 

Stage 5: Collating, summarizing and 

reporting the results: Stage 5 involved 

collating, summarizing and reporting 

results. 

 

Results and Discussion: The search 

retrieved 70 citations, with 55 potential 

papers after dispelling duplications. Figure 

2 presents a flowchart of literature 

retrieved levels of screening and included 

studies. This review included 22 distinct 

studies. Table 2 presents studies by study 

design/paper type. The findings are in the 

following sections, which center of 

attention on the occurrence of IPV, health 

consequences of IPV, danger elements for 

IPV, women’s responses to IPV, health 

system responses to IPV, and elements 

affecting women’s care-seeking behavior 

in Bangladesh. 

 

Prevalence of IPV in Bangladesh: By 

using statistics from the chosen city and 

rural areas of Bangladesh the WHO Multi-

country study revealed out women’s 

fitness and home violence (lifetime IPV 

incidence over 50%) & this extremely 

excessive lifetime occurrence rate is 

steady18. Together, the literature suggested 

that an average of 15.5-48%of women in 

various places in Bangladesh have 

experienced IPV11,19–25. The highest 

prevalence rate used to be stated by 

women residing in rural areas in the 

peripheral zones backyard of Dhaka city 

(82.7%), which included 77 villages in 

Bangladesh and the lowest prevalence rate 

was seen as 15.5%21,26.Some of the 

findings are not going to replicate the 

present rates of IPV in Bangladesh 

because of these incidence rates from the 

research were calculated 5-8 years ago. 

About 52-64% of women in a number of 

areas of Bangladesh experienced physical 

IPV and about the same for sexual IPV 

(11-65%) which was stated by current 

community-based surveys23,24. The 

prevalence rate was also very high (43-

63.8%) in hospital-based studies where 

respondents described some bad 

consequences of IPV alongside physical 

and mental tortures11,27. Recently a study 

conducted in one of the slums of Dhaka 

city showed that IPV rate is the same as 

other communities which indicates that 

IPV may not vary on economic 

status22.Besides, non-Muslim females and 

girls who watched mass media usually 

were less probable to be bodily abused 

through their husbands than Muslims and 

females who did not watch mass media at 

all19.The excessive occurrence of IPV 

experienced females in this study is steady 

with that mentioned in different research 

inBangladesh28–30.For females, in all levels 

of life, such as adolescents, pregnant 

women, older adults experiences of IPV 

had been documented, and the kinds of 

IPV experienced consisting of physical, 

sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse and a 

variety of controlling behavior in varying 

frequencies19,25–27. Additionally, sexual 

abuse was one of the predominant stated 

varieties of IPV in Bangladesh, with rates 

ranging from 6.2% to 65%  but the 

majority of research mainly stated bodily 

violence as IPV11,21,23,24,26,31. A study also 

reported that three out of four (75.6%) 

Bangladeshi women experience violence 

from husbands32. 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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Different types of IPV in Bangladesh: 

For females, in all levels of life, such as 

adolescents, pregnant women, older adults 

experiences of IPV had been documented, 

and the kinds of IPV experienced 

consisting of physical, sexual, emotional, 

and verbal abuse and a variety of 

controlling behavior in varying 

frequencies19,25–27. In addition, the 

partner’s anger primarily based on 

jealousy, whenever, in search of health 

care for herself, it is the most frequent 

trouble being predicted to ask the partner’s 

permission thus 84% of the female stated 

emotional violence through their intimate 

partner24. Teasing (khota, tishara), 

demonstration of anger, verbal abuse (gali-

galaj), threat of abandonment or divorce 

and remarriage were the major kinds of 

emotional abuse.The most frequent form 

of physical IPV ever perpetrated used to be 

having slapped or thrown something at 

their partner, followed through having 

pushed or shoved their partner, hit their 

companion with a fist or something else, 

kicked, dragged, beaten, choked or burned 

their partner, and having threatened or 

used a gun or knife on their partner33. 

 

Risk factors of IPV in Bangladesh: A 

woman’s younger age, low socioeconomic 

reputation and low academic attainment, 

low education of husband, dowry, 

perceived disobedience of wives, family 

conflict and children had recently been ill 

are the wide variety of individual risk 

elements for IPV in Bangladesh which was 

recognized by many research22,23,26,27,34.In 

Bangladesh, dowry is associated with 

violence seems to be less frequent in 

contrast with different South Asian 

settings35,36.A study has found an 

association between early marriage and 

IPV and stated that the incidence rate used 

to be modestly in villages which are 

(44.1%) with the reasonable occurrence of 

early child marriage (15–25%), and was 

the best (51.8%) in villages with the 

highest incidence of very early child 

marriage (>25 %)31.The lack of ability to 

work or to work properly, the incapability 

to furnish sexual satisfaction, and verbal 

conflict had been the major reason behind 

such abuse37.A study claimed that each 

physical and sexual IPV occurrence rate is 

greater amongst these respondents whose 

pregnancies were unintended and females 

belonging to the poorest category of 

relative family wealth19.Several studies 

showed that early reproductive women are 

more vulnerable to IPV who are in the 

range of 15-31 years22,25–27.Muslim women 

are at greater risk of IPV in 

Bangladesh32.In addition, men who 

witnessed father-to-mother violence are 

more likely to perpetrate IPV, suggesting 

an intergenerational transmission of 

violence38.Moreover, ownership of 

jewellery/large household assets by 

woman, substance abuse by husband and 

his involvement in extramarital sex, and 

education of woman more than the 

husband increased the likelihood of IPV in 

Bangladesh39. A randomized controlled 

trial study reported that women who were 

allocated to receive interactive messages 

about contraception were more likely to 

report physical IPV compared with the 

control group receiving usual care40.In 

Bangladesh, junior men are at heightened 

risks of perpetrating IPV and thus reducing 

the perpetration of IPV by them men is 

very critical41. 

 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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Health outcomes and other consequences of 

IPV in Bangladesh: A current survey 

carried out in 2019 mentioned that one of 

every six female met the criteria for Major 

Depressive Episode (MDE) because of 

IPV; psychological factor was most 

common, accompanied through sexual and 

physical. Previous studies have revealed 

that the strong predictors of long-term bad 

intellectual health consequences amongst 

mothers are physical and sexual IPV, 

consisting of signs of stress, depression, 

and Anxiety18,42,43.Sexual violence turned 

into maternal depressive symptoms after 6-

8 months of childbirth and has a 

stimulation on under-nutrition among 

under-5 children and thus different studies 

showed the IPV as a constraint to the 

better health of young children24,26. 

Accidents, small cut, physical pain, broken 

bone or tooth, abrasions, bruise-swelling, 

and burns are the kinds of physical fitness 

consequences of IPV in 

Bangladesh21,22,27,44. While a variety of 

research had been carried out in rural 

settings and reported that physical 

accidents were greater than different 

consequences ofIPV21,22. 

 

IPV in Bangladesh during pregnancy 

and it’s consequences: Nearly15.5-65% 

of females experienced IPV at some stage 

in pregnancy, ensuing in pregnancy and 

labor problems and different detrimental 

outcomes for themselves and their 

newborns, it is possible to know that 

previous researches were investigated IPV 

on the time of pregnant and lactating 

period11,19,24–26,44. Another study indicated 

that IPV during pregnancy prohibited 

getting proper Antenatal Care (ANC) and 

the extreme physical IPV and low 

utilization of adequate ANC have an 

enormous association between them. The 

study also found that, due to the low use of 

medically trained providers for assistance 

with delivery, mothers experience physical 

IPV and sexual IPV19.There’s another 

association between maternal physical IPV 

experiences and the low use of ANC 

which was found by data from a statewide 

survey in India45 and clinic-based research 

in developed settings46,47. In the preceding 

studies, it is displayed that there’s a 

recognized association of IPV with lower 

ANC checkup and medically educated 

personnel who helped in delivery supply a 

crucial context for the extended rates of 

bad pregnancy effects and signs of 

gynecologic morbidity32,48,49. Besides, 

based on obtaining delivery care from a 

medical professional and visiting a 

professional ANC provider, it had been 

seen that women who have experienced 

each physical and sexual IPV are 

substantially less possibly to obtain or 

visit, which is shown in the findings of a 

study19. 

In another study, it was observed that over 

25% of females looking for abortion care, 

experience IPV in the previous year; in 

turn, this was related to different 

achievable constraints to reproductive 

autonomy and reproductive 

healthoutcomes25. IPV can bring a reverse 

consequence on child health whose mother 

experienced IPV during pregnancy or 

lactating period. Maternal ride of any 

physical or sexual IPV used to be related 

to an elevated chance of stunting and 

underweight of their children26.Females 

who ever experienced physical and sexual 

IPV have a greater proportion of low birth 

weight11. However, other findings from 



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Bangladesh also stated that the risk of 

illness is increasing in children aged 5 

years and below whose mothers met the 

ARI and diarrhea criteria and who have 

experienced IPV in the preceding 12 

months50.Women in Bangladesh 

experiencing violence from husbands were 

more likely to report both unwanted 

pregnancy and a pregnancy loss in the 

form of miscarriage, induced abortion, or 

stillbirth32. Besides, physical IPV is 

significantly associated with the 

termination of pregnancy51. 

Acceptance of IPV and seeking 

assistance: Besides, some studies 

mentioned that Bangladeshi women can 

also proceed with their life while staying 

in abusive relationships, in some instances 

for as long as many years even they do no 

longer expose IPV22,25. Another study 

found that whenever those physically 

abused women attempt to find help by 

disclosing their experience (only 21%) and 

they get help according to their depicts 

(19%). The possible reasons for no longer 

searching for help could be excessive stage 

of violence acceptance, worries about 

bringing an awful title to the family, lack 

of self-belief that this would be beneficial 

and shame/embarrassment/fear of getting 

blamed. Lack of facts concerning formal 

sources of assist hindered about 14% of 

the abused female from looking for help. 

Those who sought assistance did so 

ordinarily when they were unable to 

undergo violence anymore. Physically 

abused ladies most regularly are trying to 

find assistance from casual sources, such 

as relatives from their very own aspect and 

neighbors and very few females sought 

help from pretty formal sources such as 

nearby leaders/clubs and legal provider 

providers22. The probability of disclosure 

and help-seeking is improving according 

to severe and prevalent physical abuse. 

The severity of violence regulating 

disclosure and help-seeking 

behavior29,52,53along with the age of the 

blamed women29,54, woman’s income-

earning status54, and education55. Seeking 

help also depends on the presence of 

children in a violent relationship56. Due to 

lack of understanding of violence, many 

women in Bangladesh cannot seek 

help57.Violence against women in 

Bangladesh has both structural and 

systemic dimensions. The response of 

different women’s groups and their 

strategies to counter violence is now an 

emerging trend in Bangladesh58. A study 

claimed that empowerment may be 

protective against IPV in the 

aggregate59.Moreover, understanding 

attitudes towards IPV in cultural context is 

important for developing interventions to 

reduce IPV and its consequences60. 

 

Conclusions: Women being younger, 

from low socioeconomic reputation, from 

low academic attainment and low 

education of husband, dowry, child 

marriage, perceived disobedience of 

wives, family conflict, children had 

recently been ill, and incapability of to 

furnish sexual satisfaction were the wide 

variety of individual risk elements for IPV 

in Bangladesh. After all, IPV is no longer 

seen as a personal matter, it also helps to 

encouraged many women to search for 

outdoor services, if there seems to be an 

effective alternative in the understanding 

of IPV in Bangladesh. However, in 

moving forward, because of consisting of 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2018; 9 (3): 16-27 

 

 

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restrictive policies and practices that lower 

the reputation of women relative to men 

within the context of intimate relationships 

as well as their role in society, and many 

of the obstacles that stop female from in 

search of legal redress and recourse from 

IPV which is need to address. 
 

 

Table 1: Inclusion and exclusion criteria 

 Populations Exposure/Situation Outcomes Study design 

Inclusion Married 

women, men, 

adult girls and 

boys 

Any abuses or violence 

in household or 

outside include sexual, 

mental or physical 

assault. 

All outcome 

relevant to the 

three sort of 

violence 

All study designs 

including published and 

gray literature, primary 

studies, newspaper 

reports 

Exclusion teenager, 

widow, 

widower 

Unidentified rape case 

or causalities between 

two different 

household 

 conference abstract, 

commentaries and 

editorials 

 

Table 2: Type of evidence included in the review (n=22) 

Method Description  References 

Quantitative (n=18; 81.8%) Cross sectional (n=6) 24, 39, 23, 22, 44, 51 

Hospital based (n=1) 11 

Secondary analysis (n=9) 25, 41, 32, 19, 21, 26, 34, 38, 32 

Randomized control trial (n=1) 40 

Not specified (n=1) 31 

Qualitative (n=3; 13.6%) Not specified (n=2) 37, 60 

Case studies (n=1) 59 

Mixed method (n=1; 4.5%)  58 

  



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doi:10.1177/1077801212465152 

 
 

Author contributions: 1st author developed the 

concept and design of the paper; 2nd, 3rd and 4th  

were equally involved in the literature search, 

review, compilation, manuscript writing and 

revision. 

. 

Conflicts of interests: The authors are declaring 

that they have no conflicts of interest. 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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