SNAPSHOTS OF THE STUDY

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SNAPSHOTS OF THE STUDY ON Situation of
Violence Against Women (VAW) in Six Selected
Districts under Dhaka Division CONDUCTED AND
PRESENTED BY PRIP Trust
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Objectives of the study..

• To gain in depth understanding of the existing
  status and conditions of VAW in the project areas
• To capture the present level of participation of
  women in public functions
• To identify the level of awareness of community,
  including other relevant stakeholders regarding
  womens rights and the consequences on violation
  of those rights
• To identify the nature of violence and their
  underlying causes, which prominently exists in
  the project areas
• To get information on the existing Govt. and Non
  Govt. Agencies, where the victims of VAW received
  support at local level
• To examine the current level of womens
  accessibility in the facilities which contribute
  in women empowerment, both at family and societal
  level
• To suggest necessary measures to improve the
  situation of VAW 

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Study area..
Selected PNGOs, Districts and Upazilas for study
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Study target groups ..

• Community female
• Community male
• Ethnic/Disabled groups
• Doctors
• Journalists
• Police officials
• Upzilla level GoB Officials
• UP Chairmen
• Women UP members
• Non-elected elites
• Women teachers
• NGO representatives

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Tools and techniques used ..
Techniques
Tools

• QUALITATIVE

• FGD-PRA sessions
• Perception Scoring Scale
• In-depth Interview (IDI)

Check List
Questionnaire
QUANTITATIVE
One to one interview   
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Sampling approach
Purposive, multistage random sampling
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STUDY FINDINGS
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Effect of the intervention at Organizational
levels
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The project at a glance..

• Title Facilitate Women leadership development
  process at Grassroots Levels for reducing
  Violence against Women (VAW)
• Specific Objectives Strengthening the Capacities
  of 6 Women headed Civil Society Organizations of
  Dhaka Division, for combating Violence against
  Women (VAW) through womens empowerment
• Duration June 2007 to May 2009
• Funding Agency Womens World Day of Prayer
  German Committee
• Selected Partners

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Basic profile of the PNGOs
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Organizational capacity to address VAW
2008-2009..
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Current projects of the PNGOs to combat VAW ..
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Organizational staff capacity to address VAW
2008-2009 ..
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Network and liaison capacities to address VAW
2008-2009 ..
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Role of 6 PNGOs to combat violence against women

• Organizing rural women
• Arrange Courtyard discussion and Training
• Organize Rally or mass gathering
• Form different committees to deal VAW related
  issues in the area
• Participation in Salish
• Legal support
• Play advocating role with different agencies on
  VAW Issues

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Situation of VAW in Project Areas
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Incidence of top ten violence's ..
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Incidence of top ten violence's by ranking ..
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Top ten contributors of violence against
women
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Underlying causes of VAW ..

• Reluctance of other people (friends/relative/neigh
  bor) to be involved in family disputes
• Lack of Awareness
• Drug addiction
• Women are not habituated to protest
• Patriarchal mentality of the society
• Dowry
• Early marriage
• Less compromising attitude of man
• Drug addiction
• Economic dependency of women on men         

Physical Torture
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Underlying causes of VAW ..

• Girls and women are not habituated to protest
  males evil approaches
• Patriarchal mentality of the society
• Lack of proper actions happen against the
  criminals in area
• Being beautiful or young
• Getting alone at workplaces or home
• Love-trap of bad boys
• Traditional social system
• Evil notion of male towards girls and women
• Joblessness of youths makes them doing evil
  activities
• Less scope of other entertainment males
  concentrate to women         

Sexual Harassment
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Underlying causes of VAW ..

• Every one takes it as a social culture
• Bridegrooms parents consider this event as a
  money making scope
• Unemployment provokes in demanding dowry
• Parents think that dowry would increase their
  draughts acceptance in the husbands family
• Lack of Education
• Bridegrooms father doesnt want to spend money
  for marriage purpose
• Negligence to women or less respect
• Not knowing the law against dowry
• Brides family often consider of giving dowry as
  an issue of prestige
• Number of male (bridegroom) is less compared to
  female (brides)         

Dowry
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Dowry breeds manifold sufferings for the women ..
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Position of women in family..
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Position of women in society..
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Mobility status of the women in project area ..

• The mobility of the women was found limited
  within NGOs, UP, Govt. agency, Police station and
  hospital
• The fear of violence including harassment is a
  permanent constraint on the mobility of women and
  limits their access to resources and basic
  activities
• Eve-teasing is a stumbling block to womens
  mobility
• Members of Bandhan Society used to go to local
  NGO most, then UP, Police station, Govt. agency
  and lastly very few goes to hospital
• Beneficiaries of GBSS move generally in the all
  above-mentioned places except police station
• Jagorani Sangstha found more access to Union
  Parishad
• The members of MPS and NUSA limited their
  mobility within NGO and Govt. agencies
• Beneficiaries of SHAREE move in to the rest 4
  places except UP

mobility status of the women in the project area
mobility status of the women in the project area
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Institutes, which can play important role to
combat VAW ..
Community View
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Respondents comments about institutions to combat
VAW...
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Knowledge of community on existing laws to combat
VAW ..
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Knowledge of VAW actors from civil society on
existing laws to combat VAW ..
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Types of support by civil society actors in
project area..

• The demand for assistance is enormous
• There is no alternative than coordinated support
  of GO, NGO and Civil society
• The VAW actor from civil society informed that
  they are also rendering supports to the community
  to combat VAW
• The form of supports are either preventive
  (awareness on VAW, rally, camping etc.) and post
  incident (legal aid, rehabilitation and moral
  support to victim etc) in nature

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Situation of Violence Against Women with
Disability (GBSS)..

• There are 4.5 millions women are Disable in
  Bangladesh, but both government and private
  sector has not targeted this group for promoting
  their rights
• Women with Disabilities (WWD) are the most
  vulnerable group in the society and they are
  facing dreadful situation to protect themselves
  from all types of violence
• Due to complexities of the existing laws and
  policies disable victims are discouraged to go
  for justice
• Both govt. and private sectors have limited idea
  on this particular issue
• People are not aware and sensitive towards the
  issue
• Very limited fund (Donors are not interested)

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Situation of Violence Against Women in Dalit
community..

• Dalit community, being untouchable, are deprived
  by the society
• Dont have access in all profession
• Discrimination in getting Govt. services
• Contractual slavery
• No scope to participate in social and national
  program
• Floating population/ Refugee

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SITUATION OF VAW IN INDIA
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Genesis of Woman Development in India..

• The principle of gender equality is enshrined in
  the Indian Constitution in its Preamble,
  Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and
  Directive Principles.
• The Constitution not only grants equality to
  women, but also empowers the State to adopt
  measures of positive discrimination in favour of
  women.
• Within the framework of a democratic polity,
  laws, development policies, plans, programmes
  have aimed at womens advancement in different
  spheres.
• From Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) onwards there
  has been a marked shift in the approach to
  womens issues from welfare to development.
• India is one of the few countries around the
  globe that recognizes domestic violence as a
  violation of womens right

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Facts findings regarding VAW issues ..

• Around two-third of married women in India were
  victims of domestic violence and one incident of
  violence translates into women losing seven
  working days in the country, a United Nations
  report said
• As many as 70 per cent of married women in India
  between the age of 15 and 49 are victims of
  beating, rape or coerced sex, the United Nation
  Population Fund report said
• One in five women are victims of rape or
  attempted rape in her lifetime, one in three
  would have been beaten, coerced into sex or
  otherwise abused usually by a family member or an
  acquaintance
• The reasons include neglecting children, going
  out without telling partner, arguing with
  partner, refusing to have sex, not preparing food
  properly or on time and talking with other men,
  it said
• Kerala, the most literate state too is high on
  the graph of women abuse
• Of the women reporting violence, 50 percent were
  kicked, beaten or hit when pregnant
• It is estimated that more than 15,000 women
  suffer from dowry-related violence ever year
• Seventy five per cent of women who are victims
  of domestic violence do not seek help due to
  concern for family honor 

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According to the National Crime Records Bureaus
(NCRB) 2005 Crime Clock, there is ..

• 1 crime committed against women every three
  minutes
• 1 molestation case every 15 minutes
• 1 sexual harassment case every 53 minutes
• 1 kidnapping and abduction case every 23 minutes
• 1 rape case every 29 minutes

And only the and recorded statistics are

• Four out of 10 women in India have experienced
  violence in the home
• 45 of women have suffered at least one incident
  of physical or psychological violence in their
  life
• 26 have experienced at least one moderate form
  of physical violence
• More than 50 of pregnant women have experienced
  severe violent physical injuries
• Approximately 6,000 women are killed in India
  every year because of dowry. Unofficial estimates
  are as high as 15,000 deaths a year. In other
  words, between 16 and 40 women die every day
  because of dowry

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Status of Gender Violence in West Bengal..

• Literacy levels have improved as has the sex
  ratio
• Women workers as a percentage of total female
  population have improved from 11.2 in 1991 to
  18.1 in 2001
• Most womens work in West Bengal continues to
  remain unrecognized, as they are in unpaid
  housework. The few women who are in paid work
  often earn 60- 70 of the mens wages
• In India, 87.5 pregnant women suffered from
  anemia. In West Bengal the situation is not much
  better and a study shows that an average of
  85.98 women suffered from malnutrition
• Crimes against women have increased from 3947 in
  1990 to 7489 in 1998
• The bulk of the crimes reported against women in
  West Bengal in 1999 are hose of cruelty by
  husbands and relatives 55, followed by
  molestation at 17, and rape and kidnapping and
  abduction at 12 each.
• The highest number of rapes is reported in North
  and South 24 Parganas.
• Around 70 of the crimes against women occur in
  the south Bengal districts of North and South 24
  Parganas, Medinipur, Barddhaman, Hugli, Haora and
  Nadia, along with Kolkata.
• The northern and western parts of the state, on
  the other hand, show smaller incidence of crimes
  against women.
• Trafficking seems highly under reported compared
  to the ground situation that emerges from reports
  by NGOs

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Self Help Movement and women empowerment in West
Bengal..

• Formation of Self Help Group Promotional Forum
  (SHG) for collective learning, a platform for
  confidence building, a tool for socio-economic
  vulnerability reduction
• Capacity Building Programmes
• Advocacy SHG State Conference - a flagship
  programme
• Promotion of SHG Product
• Resource Centre
• Campaign
• Financial Literacy - A New Friend of SHG
• We Can Campaign Creating a Gender Equitable
  Society
• Publication
• Swalpa Birta Barta - The Best Friend of SHG
  Members in Remote West Bengal
• Swayamsiddha - A radio programme fro SHGs

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Some of special initiatives taken in India, which
are ..

• National Commission for Women
• Special womans cell at the CID
• Reservation (33) for Women in Local Self
  -Government
• The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child
• National Policy for the Empowerment of Women in
  2001 (women focused self employment scheme like
  SGSY)
• The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence
  Act, 2005
• There are also many entitlements and protections
  mechanisms that are legally available for the
  public in general and the victims in particular

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SITUATION OF VAW IN NEPAL
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Nature of VAW in Nepal ..

• Domestic violence
• Polygamy
• Female infanticide
• Child marriage
• Dowry related violence (mental and physical
  torture)
• Customary/ traditional violence like deuki, badi,
  chhoupadi etc.
• Accusation of witchcraft
• Sexual violence (rape, marital rape, girls and
  women trafficking and sexual harassment)

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Situation of women in politics in Nepal ..

• In Nepal with its cultural and societal
  background women are allowed very little space in
  politics and decision-making positions
• In recent CA election of Nepal, the participation
  (of women) was extremely inclusive which was
  encouraging and had a positive influence to all
  the women politicians. The overall representation
  was nearly 33
• There are many women parliamentarians but they do
  not have roles to play
• None of the women is in the high level position
  like President, vice president, prime minister,
  vice prime minister and even the speaker of the
  parliament all are male
• Violence is one of the root cause that hindered
  women's political participation and chilling
  women from entering the political arena of Nepal

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Women participating in politics in Nepal suffer
from different natures and types of violence ..
Source Unfolding the reality Silenced voices
of women in Politics, 2007, SAP
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Challenges to address the VAWIP in Nepal ..

• Minimal representation of women in
  decision-making levels which cause and
  consequences of VAWIP
• Reluctance of political parties to nominated
  women candidates is crucial factor, denying
  women's participation in governance
• There is lots of violence occurring but women
  politicians cannot openly share but silently
  suffer violence accepting it as a part of the
  unchangeable culture
• Media is also not giving attention on VAWIP and
  the media coverage on the cases is very low
• Women and girls are afraid to report violence not
  only because of hostility and stigma from their
  community, but also due to state inaction in
  ensuring the investigation, prosecution and
  punishment of perpetrators through the justice
  system
• State has failed in the formulation and
  implementation of laws related with VAWIP. Thus
  women are subjected to violence when they protest
  their rights and no provisions for safe house for
  these affected women has been ensured by State

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OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS
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Recommendations from the community women...

• Ensuring access to Education for girls
•   Educating people on moral ethics
•   Increase public awareness on VAW related
  issues by NGO and govt.
•  Ensure rights to property of women by ensuring
  laws
•  Review the law on protection of Violence
  Against Women, and ensure proper implementation
•  Ensuring access to legal aid for the victims on
  emergency basis
•  Create sensitization against domestic violence
  against women among village people through
  meeting, gathering, drama, folk songs, poster and
  campaign

• Giving priority to the opinions of women in
  family
• Setting up a legal aid center in the locality
  by GO NGO
• Formation of Violence Against Women committee
  in each ward and Take initiative to reduce VAW
  socially
• Create opportunity for women to earn money
• Ensure 100 marriage registration
• Social movement against dowry and early marriage
•  Ensure participation of both male and female in
  Salish and encourage young groups to stop VAW

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Recommendations by the Civil Society
representatives ..

• Ensure education for all (specially women)
  without any restriction and age bar
• Increase empowerment of women by creating new
  opportunities/ avenues/ scopes of work
• Make women aware of their rights ensure
  access to social activities
• Reform law regarding gender issues and ensure
  proper implementation
• Change of mindset of the society through
  campaign (specially through electronic media)
• Elimination of all types of discrimination
  towards women at state level
• Govt. and NGOs should take women- friendly
  programs
• Take initiative to address inappropriateness of
  state laws
• Smooth and comfortable system to file case on
  VAW issues
• Ensure equal access to property for women by
  constitution
• Formation of VAW committee in each wards
• Ensure fare wage for women by Govt. and NGO
• Increase awareness program for men on VAW
  issues
• Promote positive mentality towards women in
  home, community and workplace
• Adequate budget to work on establishing women
  rights
• Take multiple comprehensive and coordinated
  steps to increase public awareness on VAW issues
  by Govt through involving religious leader, Imam,
  Kazi and Principals of Madrasa
• Promote positive mentality towards women in
  home, community and workplace
• Adequate budget to work on establishing women
  rights

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Issues requiring to addressed on a priority basis
..

•     Ensure secondary education for girls
•     Comprehensive awareness raising program on
  Womens Rights,
•  Formulate appropriate Laws on Domestic
  Violence, and ensure effective
  implementation
• A comprehensive action plan to reduce VAW, and
  incorporate in national budget for effective
  implementation
•  Formulate Laws to stop Eve-teasing by keeping
  provision for strict punishment.
•    Ensure prompt justice and settlement of
  cases related to VAW, 6
•    Initiate a social Safety Net Program for
  women by the Govt.
•    Punishment the violator of women
• Comprehensive initiative to reduce poverty of
  women, at large

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THANK YOU