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More than Statistics: 2024 Violence Against Women Survey
120 women undertook the largest standalone survey on violence against women ever conducted in the country and globally. Be a part of their journey.
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More than Statistics: 2024 Violence Against Women Survey
More than just questions: Conducting a survey on violence against women is not about checking boxes - it's about creating space for voices that have not been heard. Interviewers learn how to ask sensitive questions without causing distress and listen with empathy to those who choose to speak. "Nothing prepares you for the field, not even the best training. All of us knew that some women might feel emotionally overwhelmed during the interviews, and even though I was prepared for that, it was still very different when it actually happened. I always told them how brave they are."
A moment of realization: Interviewers received extensive training to conduct interviews with sensitivity and compassion - ensuring that respondents felt heard and respected. "We had a real 'aha' moment during our training when we realized how men and women often sit differently. It really brought home how gender plays a role in even the smallest things. That whole month of training was like one continuous, eye-opening conversation."
Trusting a stranger: "Women look at me and think they'll never see me again. I have no reason to return to their hometown. They don't know my family, and I don't know theirs. I'm just a stranger with a questionnaire. So, they wonder, What if she judges me? It doesn't matter!' Then they tell me things they have never told anyone before."
Triumph over a lifetime of silence: Many women had never shared their experiences, carrying the
burden of violence for years in fear or shame. For them, this wasn't just a survey - it was the first time someone truly listened."In all the surveys I did, people are usually a bit impatient. They want to finish the interview and return to their day. But, with this particular survey, women wanted me to stay and spend time with them. They just wanted to talk."
A quiet conversation in a crowded world: Privacy and confidentiality were paramount. In households filled with family members, in-laws, and children, interviewers had to find creative ways to conduct interviews safely - sometimes stepping into crowded public spaces. "We interviewed women privately, no matter what it took. I remember once getting in a CNG with a woman and riding all the way across the town just so we could find a quiet spot. Another time, I went to a restaurant with a woman and found a private booth to talk."
Stories etched in memory: ".....this story of two siblings, a brother and sister, remains with me. Their mother - my respondent told me that these children instinctively run to the roof whenever they hear any loud voices
in the house. And it happens often."
Hospitality in hardship: "From the early days, I remember one woman who insisted I stay for lunch after her interview. It happened again and again women, despite their struggles, offering food and kindness, sending me back with meals for my team."
Through floodwaters and heatwaves: In 2024, climate disasters pressed on, survey or not. Interviewers waded through floodwaters and walked for hours in the scorching sun to reach women who otherwise would have been left out of the survey. "We faced floods, heatwaves, cyclone Remal... Rising waters cut off village after village, leaving us no choice but to wade through them ourselves while trying to keep our tabs dry. Our respondents were always surprised to see us. They'd ask, 'How did you even get here?"
A survey like no other: Unlike traditional surveys, this one demanded a lot of time, patience, and emotional resilience. Interviewers managed to adapt to challenging environments with the support of their supervisors. "This survey just felt different from the beginning." he said. "I've never been so invested in an assignment before. Even though as a supervisor, I was never conducting interviews, I still felt like I was part of something important."
Reaching every woman: Interviewers often bore witness to the hundreds of obstacles facing women experiencing violence. By the end of fieldwork, these interviewers became the
greatest advocates for survivors. "The least we can do for survivors is listen to them. When they come forward with their stories, we must remember the thousands of barriers they have faced before they could come to us."
Anger of the unheard: "Many women were angry - angry that no one had listened, angry that violence against them had never stopped. They asked me point-black: Will you do something with my story this time?"
Unexpected bonds: "Women end up asking for my phone numbers at the end of the interviews. I guess you could say we connected on a level that goes beyond the interview. You had to be there to understand."
Violence without boundaries: "Rich or poor, educated or not, in Dhaka or in remote charlands
violence does not discriminate. We like to think it happens in 'other families, but it is all around us."
The gift of service: Interviewers provided a referral brochure outlining a range of government and
non-government services to all 27.000+ respondents. Discreetly embedded within its content was essential support information for survivors. "All this time, no one like you ever came to visit
me," the survivor told me. "If only someone had given me this book of numbers before, if I had
known there was someone out there to support me... When I really needed help, I had no one, no support."
Not all stories are painful: "One woman began crying the moment I started asking questions. I feared the worst. But she was crying in memory of her late husband-a man who had treated her with love and respect until the day he died."
A quiet revolution: "After everything I've seen and heard, I'm absolutely convinced: for every woman who spoke with me, simply speaking out was an act of dissent."
Keeping promises: Interviewers were often met with the question: What happens next? They carried the weight of that responsibility, knowing that behind the statistics were real lives, real pain, and real hope for change. "Women would ask me, "Will things actually change?' I wanted to say yes, of course, but it was not my place to make promises. So, I just told them I hoped so. And trust me, I really hope this survey changes things."
The way forward: "I have been a data collector since the 1990s. Knowing I'm getting close to the end of my career, I'm really hoping this survey makes a difference, especially for the next generation of women."
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