Assessing the Policy Implementation of the Bangladeshi Domestic Violence Act: Any Lessons for Protecting South African Women in their Homes?

ABSTRACT Violence against women in the home is a serious global social, health and human rights problem which transcends every level of society. Many countries have enacted and implemented specific legal policy interventions, often referred to as the “Domestic Violence Act”, in order protect women from violence at home. Although the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010 was an important landmark in policy-making in Bangladesh, legal recourse by survivors of violence in the home using this Act appears to be exceedingly low in some districts. Using a qualitative case-study approach, this article, part of a broader investigation on violence in the home, critically assesses the implementation of the Act in the Bangladeshi administrative district of Mymensingh. Since enactment of the law until the study period in 2014, only two cases were lodged under this Act in this district. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with the concerned implementers and the survivors of domestic violence. Furthermore, relevant documentary evidence was also consulted. This assessment reveals that policy implementation of the Act suffered from various drawbacks, in particular lack of coordination, non-compliance, implementation delays, lack of commitment and the capabilities of the implementers. We then reflect on lessons from this assessment for South Africa, pointing out some possibilities for overcoming the problems associated with implementation of laws against violence against women in the home.