113 Women Killed by Husbands in 7 Months in Bangladesh

In a tragic case of domestic violence, Sayeda Fahmida Tahsin (Keya), a mother of four, was allegedly killed by her husband, Sifat Ali, in Dhaka’s Shewrapara. The incident occurred on August 13, 2025, with her family claiming Sifat strangled her and attempted to pass it off as a suicide. Fahmida’s mother, Nazma Begum, filed a murder case against Sifat and nine others at Mirpur Model Thana the following day.

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), from January to July 2025, 363 incidents of domestic violence were reported across Bangladesh, resulting in 322 deaths, including 208 women and children. Of these, 133 women were killed by their husbands, 42 by their husband’s family members, and 33 by their own family members. Additionally, 114 individuals died by suicide.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs’ National Women’s Protection Helpline ‘109’ reported 48,745 calls seeking assistance for women facing physical and mental abuse during the same period. The National Emergency Service ‘999’ recorded 17,341 calls related to violence against women from January to August 15, 2025, with 9,746 complaints specifically about domestic violence, including 9,394 against husbands. Fahmida, a 26-year-old former student of Vikarunnesa Noon School, was married to Sifat for nearly a decade. Despite frequent physical abuse, she endured for the sake of her four children, according to her family. On the night of the incident, Fahmida was preparing dinner when Sifat returned home, leading to an altercation. He allegedly beat her, locked her in a room, and later informed her family that she was unwell. At the hospital, her parents discovered she was already dead. Sifat fled, leaving her body at the hospital and abandoning their children at his sister’s house. Fahmida’s uncle, Md. Shamsuddoha Khan, told Prothom Alo that the family found cooking preparations in the kitchen, contradicting Sifat’s claim of suicide. He expressed concerns about delays in filing the case and doubts about receiving justice, noting that no arrests have been made yet. Mirpur Model Thana’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Sajjad Roman stated that multiple police teams are investigating, and the case is nearing a breakthrough. He denied claims of delays in filing the case and said the police will rely on medical reports and evidence to determine the cause of death. In another incident, on June 18, 2025, Sabina Begum (30) was allegedly killed by her husband, Anu Miya (35), in Sylhet’s Golapganj, with her body dumped in a pond. Anu was arrested, and police noted longstanding marital disputes as a possible motive. In April 2025, Yasir Ali was arrested in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj for allegedly killing his wife, Lamia Akter (23), her sister Swapna Akter (35), and their four-year-old son, Abdullah Rafsan, amid domestic disputes. He buried their bodies after the murders. Professor Monirul I. Khan from Dhaka University’s Sociology Department attributed such violence to patriarchal culture and weak law enforcement. He emphasized that women must leave abusive relationships and that stronger legal consequences are needed to deter such crimes.