The Pattern of Sexual Violence among Women and Children in the Hill Tracts of Bangladesh: An Unveiled Truth

Abstract

Introduction: Gender-based violence (GBV) has emerged as one of the most common and significant social problems worldwide including in Bangladesh. In recent

times, incidents of sexual violence are on a rise in the country. The study was aimed at documenting the patterns of sexual violence that occurred in the hilly hard- to-reach areas of Bangladesh.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Bandarban District Hospital, a secondary-level hospital in one of the hilly districts of Bangladesh. The study participants included all the reported sexual assault victims between the period from July 2019 through June 2021. The variables were the victim’s age, gender, religion, marital status, occupation, age at menarche, signs of assault, the interval between the incident and reporting, number of perpetrators, age of the perpetrators, and relationship of the perpetrator with the victims. Results: During the study period, ninety cases were reported in selected hospitals of whom 86 (95.6%) were female and the rest (4.4%) were male. The mean age of the victims was 16±6.9 years (range: 2-40 years). Most of the victims (61.4%) were from the age group 11-20 years while 18.2% were below 10 years. Less than half (44.4%) of victims were assaulted before menarche. About 25% of the incidents took place in Farmhouses, or areas close to the forest or springs, while 34.4% occurred in either the victim’s or the perpetrator’s house. In most of the instances (75.6%), the number of perpetrators was single, and the mean age of them was 22.5±6.3 years (range: 13-45 years). In about 40% of cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim personally. Among 90 victims, 15(16.6%) were assaulted by their present or ex-lovers. Conclusion: This study would help to set up the platform to undergo more research in this neglected, yet important area related to human rights violations.