Factors Associated With Domestic Violence Against Women at Different Stages of Life: Findings From a 19-Year Longitudinal Dataset From the MINIMat Trial in Rural Bangladesh (2001-2020).

Despite the abundance of literature, longitudinal studies evaluating the factors associated with domestic violence (DV) at different stages and over longer periods of women's lives are rare. We evaluated factors associated with physical and sexual DV during pregnancy, at 10-year, and 18-year follow-ups after pregnancy and within a 19-year period of life using a cohort of women (n = 1,126) who participated in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions, Matlab trial in rural Bangladesh. Data on women's experience of DV, social and economic characteristics, empowerment, and family condition were recorded in a similar manner during pregnancy and at 10- and 18-year follow-ups, using standard questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression models and generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate factors associated with women's experience of physical and sexual violence at each discrete time point and over a period of 19 years, respectively. During pregnancy, women were more likely to experience violence if they were members of microcredit programs/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), living in an extended family and had lower wealth status. At the 10- and 18-year follow-ups, higher levels of decision-making and higher wealth status were protective against the experience of violence. At the 18-year follow-up, women with larger age differences from their husbands were less likely to experience violence, while membership in microcredit programs/NGOs was associated with higher odds of experiencing violence among women. Within a period of 19 years, a higher level of education, living in an extended family, higher decision-making level and higher wealth index were protective against the experience of violence, while membership in microcredit programs/NGOs was a risk factor. In conclusion, this study showed that correlates of violence might change at different time points in women's life. Thus, policies and programs should consider the stage of women's lives while planning interventions for addressing violence against women.

Multi-level analysis of the determinants of physical domestic violence against children using longitudinal data from MINIMat mother-child cohort in Bangladesh.

Objectives: Despite high levels of physical violence against children (VAC) globally (40-50%), the literature on the determinants of VAC remains inconclusive. Most of the literature on this topic is based on cross-sectional data, and the multi-level nature of the drivers of VAC is widely ignored. This leads to model specification problems and an inability to draw causal inferences. Moreover, despite the higher prevalence of VAC in low-and middle-income countries, studies from high income countries dominate the field. We examined the determinants of physical domestic VAC to address these gaps in the literature. Methods: Data were collected between 2001 and 2020 from 762 mother-child dyads recruited in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab (MINIMat) study in Bangladesh. We conducted multi-level logistic regression analyses to identify the determinants of physical domestic VAC. Results: Prevalence of physical domestic violence against girls (69%) and boys (62%) was extremely high. Community-level prevalence of physical domestic VAC increased the likelihood of physical domestic VAC at the individual level across gender (girls - OR-5.66; 95% CI- 3.11-10.32; boys - OR-7.67; CI- 3.95-14.91). While physical domestic violence against mothers was not associated with physical domestic violence against girls, it reduced the likelihood of such violence against boys by 47%. Having 3 or more siblings predicted physical domestic violence against girls (OR-1.97; 95% CI- 1.01-3.81 for 3 siblings; OR-4.58; 95% CI- 2.12-9.90 for 4 or more siblings), but not against boys. While girls in Hindu families were more likely to experience this violence, the boys were not. Mother's education, employment non-governmental organization (NGO) participation and, household wealth did not predict this violence against any gender. Conclusion: We contend that physical domestic violence against mothers reflects an emphasized patriarchal culture in a family where a boy is less likely to experience physical domestic violence. Social norms and social learning theories explain the greater likelihood of a child experiencing physical domestic violence in a village with a higher level of such violence. We conclude that social norms around physical domestic VAC and patriarchal culture need to be changed to effectively address this violence.

Effect of Rural-Urban Migration on Age at Marriage Among Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh.

Objectives: Bangladesh reports one of the highest rates of child marriage (CM) (59%) in the world and the highest rate within South Asia. Age at marriage of girls is a critical human rights and developmental issue in Bangladesh. Migration has been documented to be positively associated with age at marriage. Bangladesh experiences one of the highest rates of rural to urban migration in the world. An increase in rural-urban migration of adolescent girls has been observed over the last few decades in Bangladesh with the expansion of employment opportunities particularly in the ready-made garment industry (RMG). This analysis explores the effect of migration on age at marriage and CM among adolescent girls living in urban slums of Dhaka. Methods: The sample was selected from icddr,b's Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (UHDSS) and comprises of never-married adolescent girls aged 15-19, who migrated in from rural Bangladesh to slums in and around Dhaka during 2015-2019. These in-migrants were matched with their rural counterparts from icddr,b's Matlab HDSS (MHDSS), using one to one nearest neighbor matching with caliper 0.1 using propensity score matching (PSM) method. The sample derived included a total of 2,700 never-married adolescent girls from Dhaka and Matlab. The association between migration and age at first marriage was estimated using a linear regression model and the effect of migration on CM was explored using logistic regression analyses. Results: The in-migrants perfectly matched with their rural peers in terms of age, household wealth and religion. However, their income earning status was hugely different. Urban migrants had significantly higher age at marriage than the rural non-migrants for both 15-19 (Coefficient, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.07-2.46) and 20-24 years age group (Coefficient, 2.87; 95% CI, 2.18-3.55). The migrant girls aged 20-24 years were 71% (aOR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.12-0.69) less likely to get married before CM age bar in Bangladesh compared to their rural counterparts. Conclusion: Migration has a positive effect on delaying marriage and reducing CM among adolescent girls. Findings from this study suggest that CM can be reduced by creating educational and economic opportunities for females.