The implementation of women’s rights to penal remedies for and protection against domestic violence in Bangladesh - A critical multi-level and multi-methodological analysis

Abstract

This study explores the implementation of domestic violence survivors’ right to access penal remedies for and protection against domestic violence in Bangladesh on the international, national, and local level. The study is based on multiple methods, including participant observation in a non-governmental organisation in Bangladesh. On the international level, it identified women’s relevant rights under the Women’s Convention, and Bangladesh’s corresponding obligations. On the national level, it found that the rights to protection against domestic violence was implemented in the Constitutional law, but there were many gaps in the implementation in the legislation. On the local level, it identified lack of a gender-sensitivity and resources as main barriers to the implementation of women’s rights in the formal justice system. It further found that legal empowerment strategies could be used to improve domestic violence survivors’ access to protection against and penal remedies for domestic violence.