Violence Against Women

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, have intensified. The Needs Assessment Working Group (NAWG) Bangladesh under the Humanitarian Coordination Task Team, composed of both government and international agencies, carried out the “COVID-19: Bangladesh - Multi-Sectoral Anticipatory Impact and Needs Analysis” in April 2020. The assessment identified that the humanitarian crisis is likely to impact the already at-risk ethnic community groups, low-income families, people with disabilities, returnee migrant workers, informal and low wage earners such as daily women-headed households, transgender and sex workers, and tea plantation workers. It predicted that domestic and intimate partner violence and child exploitation may increase during this period. This may be triggered by a loss of income, school closures, returning migrant workers, communities remaining under prolonged lockdowns, and the inability to access regular safety and support mechanisms. Women, girls, and female-headed households were at higher risk of severe impacts during the pandemic. LGBTIQ+ groups, especially those who lack adequate support, would remain at high risk during this period. The data was collected from 36 districts through 606 community-level survey respondents and 323 key informant interviews (KIIs).