Violence against women (VAW) is costing Bangladesh society Tk 1,939.4 crore every year, a workshop was told on Saturday.
The consultation workshop on a draft report on VAW, was jointly organised by IRG Development Services (IRGDS) and UN Women at the Jatiya Press Club.
Presenting the draft report, IRGDS team leader Dr Kaniz N Siddique, observed that VAW is a major obstacle to economic development as well as ensuring gender equality.
Quoting a recent study by Care Bangladesh, she said the cost of violence to society is about 2.12 percent of total GDP, which is almost equal to the total government expenditure for the health and the nutrition sector.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the total GDP for 2011-12 was Tk 9,148 billion, which 2.12 percent of the GDP equivalent to Tk 1,939.4 crore, she said.
“This amount can contribute to nation-building activities if violence against women can be eliminated from society,” said Kaniz, also a policy formation and budgeting specialist.
She said violence against women is globally acknowledged as a basic human rights violation and a fundamental obstacle to the achievement of gender equality.
Bangladesh shows high incidences of physical and mental abuse and early marriage, rape, beating to death, acid attack, dowry related violence and death and trafficking in women and children, she said.
Dr Kaniz mentioned that four factors –– cultural, economic, legal and political–– perpetuate the violence against women.
Though eradication of violence against women is a top priority in government’s agenda to ensure women’s rights and advancement, the fund, which has been allocated in the national budget, is not sufficient to address the issue, she said.
Dr Kaniz said five ministries –– Women and Children Affairs, Social Welfare, Home Affairs, Health, and Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs ––allocated Tk 177.36 crore to mitigate violence against women in 2012-13 fiscal year.
Besides, an action plan was taken to mitigate VAW but no budgetary plan is yet to be taken in this regard, she added.
Dr Kaniz underscored the need for ensuring sufficient budgetary allocation from the government to carry out activities in an effective manner to eliminate VAW.
Human Resources Development and Training specialist Nilufar Ahmed Karim and chairman of IRGDS Sukharanjan Suter also spoke on the occasion.
