Men must do more to curb violence against women

In 2025, according to data from Police Headquarters, at least 21,939 cases were filed across the country over allegations of violence against women and children. Of these, 7,068 involved allegations of rape, of which 5,171 victims were adult women and 1,897 were children. Meanwhile, human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra documented 776 rape cases over 13 months from January 2025 to February 2026, nearly half of which involved minors. Alarmingly, 56 girls under the age of 12 were raped in the first four months of 2026, and 16 of them were under six years old. Worse, these reported cases reveal only part of the real picture, as many survivors remain silent about the violence they face due to fear, shame, and lack of support.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad described the situation as a “deep national crisis” and called for immediate action to protect women and girls. If we are to address this crisis, we first need to understand what has caused it. Why do some men use violence against women? What makes them believe they have the right to control, humiliate, or harm them? And what can be done to change this behaviour?

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The answers are rooted in our social and cultural attitudes, economic inequalities, and long-standing gender stereotypes shaped by patriarchy. In a patriarchal society, boys are often expected to express their masculinity by appearing strong, aggressive, and dominant, while girls are taught to be quiet and submissive. Such ideas create a dangerous belief that men have authority over women. In extreme cases, sexual violence becomes a way of exercising power and control.

Respect for women and their safety are basic foundations of any healthy society. Yet, in our society, women are still often viewed as less capable, less important, and less powerful than men. This misconception can begin early in life. Young boys who grow up witnessing violence at home, or seeing women being insulted, controlled, or abused, may be more likely to accept violence as normal and mimic the same later in life. The media also plays an important role in shaping attitudes. Newspapers, films, television programmes, and social media can sometimes portray women in negative or stereotypical ways. Women are often presented as weak and dependent, while men are shown as providers, decision-makers, and figures of authority. Commercial advertisements sometimes portray women as objects of desire. When such images are repeated over time, they can reinforce the harmful idea that women exist mainly to serve or please men.

Bangladesh has made real progress in advancing women’s education, employment, and participation in public life. Women are working in factories, offices, hospitals, schools, businesses, and government institutions, while girls are increasingly studying in greater numbers and at higher levels. But economic and social progress cannot be considered complete while half of the country’s population still has to live in fear based on their very gender. Curbing violence against women and girls is not only a moral obligation, but also essential to ensure genuine social and economic progress for the country.

The priority must be to ensure justice. Bangladesh already has laws to punish violence against women and children, but the problem is often the gap that persists between the law and its implementation. The Women and Children Repression Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2026, enacted this April, speeds up investigations and trials, strengthens protection for victims, and improves the use of digital evidence. These provisions must now be properly implemented. A law that is strong on paper but takes years to deliver justice will neither deter criminals nor restore public confidence. The government should also publish regular and reliable data showing how many cases are reported, investigated, taken to trial, and result in convictions.

Schools should teach children about respect, personal boundaries, consent, and safe behaviour online and offline. Boys should be taught that being strong does not mean controlling, humiliating, or intimidating girls. Parents, teachers, religious leaders, and community leaders all have their own roles to play in raising boys who understand that girls are not objects to be controlled or harassed, but human beings entitled to the complete dignity, safety, and freedom.

We must also make public spaces safer. Streets, parks, transport terminals, school routes, and workplaces should be properly lit and monitored. Complaints of harassment must be taken seriously, and public transport operators and employers should have clear systems for reporting abuse and protecting victims. Women should not have to change their clothes, restrict their movements, or give up jobs because society has failed to control those who harass them.

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Society at large also needs to change its attitude towards survivors of gendered abuse. A woman who is raped is not responsible for the crime committed against her. A girl who is harassed is not responsible for the behaviour of the harasser. A wife who is beaten is not responsible for her husband’s violent tendencies. Families must stop asking what the survivor did to cause the violence and start asking why the perpetrator believed he could commit it without consequences.

Of course, curbing violence against women and girls is not the responsibility of the government alone. It must be shared by the whole of society, development partners, the media, and local communities. The government must enforce relevant laws, schools must educate children well, families must teach respect, and communities must reject harmful attitudes. Real progress will occur when women and girls no longer have to live in fear, when survivors can seek justice without shame and, most importantly, when men themselves speak up and act against the violence and harassment that women face at the hands of other men. They must speak up when they witness harassment, challenge sexist attitudes among their male friends and colleagues, teach younger men and boys to respect women and girls, and support survivors in whatever way  possible. Ultimately, men must become a bigger, more active part of the solution to curbing violence against women and girls.

Abu Afsarul Haider is an entrepreneur. He can be reached at afsarulhaider@gmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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