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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust

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Study area.. Selected PNGOs, Districts and Upazilas for study: Name of the OrganizationDistrict Upazila Unions Jagorani Sangastha (JS)GopalganjKotaliparaRadhaganj & Kandi Bandhan SocietyKishorganjSadarLatibabad & Rashidabad Gram Bikash Shohayak Sangstha(GBSS)NorshingdiPolashDanga & Jenardi Manob Progati Sangho (MPS)TangailSadarEnayetpur & Korotia SHAREENarayanganjSadarTanbazar & Gonoktuli City-colony Naria Unnayan Samity (NUSA)ShariatpurNariaBhumkhara & Kederpur

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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust Tools and techniques used.. QUALITATIVE FGD-PRA sessions Perception Scoring Scale In-depth Interview (IDI) QUANTITATIVE One to one interview Tools Check List Questionnaire Techniques

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PRIP-Trust Sampling approach Purposive, multistage random sampling Unit CriteriaNumber District(1 from selected project area)6 Upazila(1 from each selected Districts)6 Unions(2 from each selected Upazilas)12 NGO staff(5 from each project )30 Actors on VAW (Doctors, Advocate, Journalists, Police officials, Upzilla level GoB Officials, UP Chairman, Representatives of the women organizations & Women UP members) (5 from each project area)30 Local Elites (Non-elected elites, Women teachers (5 from each project area)30 Group Member (Community female, male, Ethnic/ Disabled groups) (50 from each project area)300 TOTAL390

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PRIP-Trust STUDY FINDINGS

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PRIP-Trust Effect of the intervention at Organizational levels

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PRIP-Trust 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: Name of the OrganizationDistrictArea of Specialization Jagorani Sangastha GopalganjReligious Minority Bandhan Society KishorganjUltra poor (for legal support) Gram Bikash Shohayak Sangstha NorshingdiDisabled people Manob Progati Sangho (MPS) TangailVictim women SHAREE NarayanganjUntouchables (sweeper/Dalits) Noriya Unnayan Shamiti (NUSA) ShoriyatpurRiver Basin Vulnerable Communities

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PRIP-Trust Basic profile of the PNGOs

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PRIP-Trust Organizational capacity to address VAW: 2008- 2009..

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PRIP-Trust Current projects of the PNGOs to combat VAW..

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PRIP-Trust Organizational staff capacity to address VAW: 2008-2009..

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PRIP-Trust Network and liaison capacities to address VAW: 2008-2009..

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust Situation of VAW in Project Areas

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PRIP-Trust Incidence of top ten violence's.. Type of Violence Against Women Ranking of VAW by Community Women Ranking of VAW by Civil Society Ranking of VAW by NGO Staff Physical torture111 Sexual Harassment2115 Dowry332 Early marriage423 Deserted by husband510 Polygamy644 Divorce756 Illegal Divorce88 Eve teasing9910 Rape1068 Women and Child Trafficking1113 Acid Throwing1277 Extra marital affairs131211 Hilla marriage14 9

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PRIP-Trust Incidence of top ten violence's by ranking..

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PRIP-Trust Top ten contributors of violence against women

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PRIP-Trust Underlying causes of VAW.. Reluctance of other people (friends/relative/neighbor) 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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PRIP-Trust Girls and women are not habituated to protest male s 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 Underlying causes of VAW.. Sexual Harassment

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PRIP-Trust Every one takes it as a social culture Bridegroom s parents consider this event as a money making scope Unemployment provokes in demanding dowry Parents think that dowry would increase their draught s acceptance in the husbands family Lack of Education Bridegroom s father doesn t 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) Underlying causes of VAW.. Dowry

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PRIP-Trust Dowry breeds manifold sufferings for the women..

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PRIP-Trust Position of women in family..

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust Position of women in society..

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust Mobility status of the women in project area.. mobility status of the women in the 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

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PRIP-Trust Institutes, which can play important role to combat VAW.. Community View

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PRIP-Trust Respondents comments about institutions to combat VAW...

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PRIP-Trust Knowledge of community on existing laws to combat VAW..

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust Knowledge of VAW actors from civil society on existing laws to combat VAW..

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PRIP-Trust 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 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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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust SITUATION OF VAW IN INDIA

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PRIP-Trust 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 Genesis of Woman Development in India..

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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 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 And only the and recorded statistics are

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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 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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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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 : o Financial Literacy - A New Friend of SHG o We Can Campaign Creating a Gender Equitable Society Publication o Swalpa Birta Barta - The Best Friend of SHG Members in Remote West Bengal o Swayamsiddha - A radio programme fro SHGs

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust SITUATION OF VAW IN NEPAL

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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust 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 Nature of Violence Perpetrators of violence against women in politics TotalFamilyPolitical parties State & security Men in society Media Physical141823 Psychological132623 Threats and coercion21116131 Total100%8%63%10%19%2%

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PRIP-Trust Women participating in politics in Nepal suffer from different natures and types of violence.. Types of violence Places of its occurrenceTypes of victimsTypes of perpetrators PhysicalGrassroots level- community Local politics, Family Influential women, leaders, women activists, candidate for election Family oppositions and own parties SexualPolitical and Law enforcement level-Armed conflict Activist women, candidates for election Security forces, male politicians and bureaucracy PsychologicalPolitical level-Electoral process /parliament, Family level-controlling from entering politics Young women aspiring a political career, active women leaders and family, established women politician Opposition parties, or members of own parties, male superior Threats and coercion Political level- parliament/party organizations/committee, state level- police station Established female politicians, male relatives, women exercising political authority, members of local bodies, leaders at grassroots level Party men, policemen, subordinate staff, male colleagues, family members Source: Unfolding the reality: Silenced voices of women in Politics, 2007, SAP

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PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS

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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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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PRIP-Trust 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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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust 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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Company LOGO PRIP-Trust THANK YOU