Female perpetrated domestic violence against men and the case for Bangladesh

Abstract

Whilst domestic violence against women receives significant international attention and prominence within the scholarly, media and policy discourses, much silence and reservation is evident in the case of domestic violence against men by women. The dominant societal notion portrays women as the natural victims and men as perpetrators, making it challenging to contextualize men’s experiences of domestic violence in the intimate relationship. Against this backdrop, using Bangladesh as a case study, this article highlights key factors contributing to the silences, subjugations and controversies associated with domestic violence against men in order to present the state of current knowledge for such violence. Currently, there is a paucity of scholarly information on domestic violence against men and policy, legal and social supports available for these victims require attention. It is thus, suggested to break the social prejudice associated with such violence and adopt appropriate policy and legal interventions including gender-neutral laws to protect men at home from violence perpetrated by women.