Dhaka, May 30 (IANS) Women in Bangladesh have faced mounting social, cultural and political resistance against them amid rising visibility, reflecting a troubling backlash fuelled by the active resurgence of extremist sentiments, a report has stated.

Citing Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) data, Bangladeshi media outlet ‘New Age’ reported that nearly 76 per cent of women across the country experience violence at some stage in their lives.

It added that most incidents remain hidden as abuse is still frequently treated as a “strictly domestic or private matter”, reinforcing the culture of silence that normalises violence.

“The proliferation of digital technology has, at the same time, given rise to new forms of violence, including online harassment, blackmail, the dissemination of misinformation and the misuse of personal photographs. Among the issues, attacks launched by online activists affiliated with religious groups are a frequent topic of discussions,” the report detailed.

“Consequently, while women’s participation and visibility have, indeed, increased, they have been met with a corresponding surge in attempts at control and resistance that has created the reality of a structural ‘gender backlash’,” it mentioned.

According to the report, the resistance to women’s presence in public spaces is equally visible – whether on city streets, on university campuses or at cultural events – where they continue to face significant challenges.

“They are often subjected to control through social surveillance, moral policing and, at times, outright violence. Furthermore, the fear of going ‘viral’, perpetuated through social media and a patriarchal mobile journalism landscape, instils deep anxiety in many women. The rise of ‘ bot armies’ has only exacerbated this sense of alarm,” it noted.

The report stated that in recent years, several incidents of harassment targeting women in public spaces have triggered widespread debate, reflecting that women continue to face safety concerns even in modern and educated environments. This highlights the absence of a “gender-neutral” environment in public spaces across Bangladesh.

Emphasising the prevalence of online abuse, the report stated that the gender backlash has taken on a more complex dimension in the digital sphere, where a significant number of women experience online violence, as reflected in BBS and UNFPA reports.

“There has been a surge in coordinated trolling, doxing or leaking of personal information, image manipulation and character assassination, targeting journalists, politically active women and university students. Research has identified these acts collectively as ‘doxing-style harassment'”, the report stated.

“In many instances, religious and moral narratives are weaponised to portray women as ‘sources of instability’ or ‘agents of moral decay’. Consequently, online violence has evolved from mere personal attacks into a calculated organisational strategy aimed at stifling women’s freedom of expression and their participation in the public sphere,” it added.

Highlighting the widespread gender discrimination in Bangladesh, the report said, “To ensure sustainable gender equity in the future, it is imperative to foster an inclusive dialogue encompassing development, culture, religious narratives and political structures.”

–IANS

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