Seven women die every day in Bangladesh, either from murder or suicide caused by domestic violence. This is according to a recent report by the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA) called "Violence Against Women in Bangladesh," which documented more than 3,600 killings and nearly 2000 suicides related to “domestic violence, rape and dowry-related violence” over the period 2012 to 2013. The study's authors noted that the number of reported violent deaths dropped in 2013, likely because political violence and unrest in Bangladesh “overshadowed” violence against women in the media.
Human Rights Watch reported in 2013 that despite the enactment of laws intended to combat gender-based violence, women in Bangladesh continued to suffer very high rates of violence, including sexual assaults, acid attacks, sexual harassment, domestic violence and other abuse due to ineffective implementation of the laws.
Compiled from: Babul, Parvez, Spate of Violence Against Women, The Daily Star (July 6, 2014).