Socioeconomic determinants of acid attacks against women in Bangladesh

Acid attacks, a form of violence that involves throwing acid at human bodies, are a serious violation of fundamental human rights. Although acid violence is observed worldwide, quantitative evidence on the socioeconomic determinants of its prevalence is scarce. This study aimed to quantitatively examine the relationships between the prevalence of acid attacks against women and traditional gender norms and acid availability at the district level in Bangladesh, a developing country with high prevalence of such attacks.

Data on acid attacks were collected from media reports between 2005 and 2023, confirming 836 victims from 625 attacks. Traditional gender norms were approximated by child marriage, female labor force participation, women's participation in intra-household decision-making, and the presence of garment factories in the district, while the number of textile factories approximated acid availability. Descriptive statistics on the media reports' data were discussed. Ordinary least squares regression analysis using district-level aggregated data was performed to identify the determinants of acid attacks.

The results demonstrated that women accounted for 77 % of victims, while primary perpetrators were men. Over a quarter of attacks against women were perpetrated by their husbands or ex-husbands. The attacks against women were more prevalent in the districts with stronger traditional gender norms and higher acid availability.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively uncover the socioeconomic determinants of acid attacks using representative data. The findings of this study will assist policymakers and relevant stakeholders in their plans to eliminate acid violence.