Domestic violence, Bangladesh

Figures like these really makes a painful read:

At least 3,043 women died in different incidents of domestic violence last year and of them, 1041 victims committed suicide, according to a report released by the Mass-line Media Centre (MMC) recently.

Repression and sexual harassment led most women to take their own lives while rape and abduction were identified as most common violations of child rights in 2005.

The women fell victim to repression and violence mainly because of dowry, conflicts in conjugal life and poverty, said the report.

During the one year period from January to December, a total of 54,954 women fell victim to different forms of rights violations.

The report said 875 women were raped during the period and 165 were killed after rape. And 275 rape incidents, the highest at divisional level, took place in Rajshahi.

Some 1235 women fell victim to repression over dowry. Of them, 505 victims were killed and 428 others injured. Rajshahi division witnessed the most such incidents.

The forms of repression include beating, stabbing, acid attack, burning and forced starvation, the report said.

Source