Last year, 5,986 women fell victim to violence, up from 2474 in 2003, while the number of victims was 693 in 1996 and 1438 in 1997, according to the documentation cells of Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.

Rape is one of the major forms of violence against women. The total cases of rape were 1074 in 2004 and 1381 in 2003 while the number was 753 in 1997, up from 262 in 1996.

Besides, the number of dowry-related violence was 374 in 2003 and 355 in 2004. The number of such violence was only 77 in 1996.

Murder is the worst form of domestic violence. In most cases, women were killed by their husbands or in-laws or the victim's own relatives. A total of 1630 such cases took place from 1996 to 2003.

Also, 1379 women were murdered over dowry during this period and 84 others committed suicide. And 951 rape victims were killed in nine years.

The other forms of violence are throwing acid, fatwa, trafficking, kidnapping, forced prostitution, torture and teasing.

On average, 25 incidents of violence against women take place a day, according to Mass-line Media Centre (MMC).

Advocate Sultana Kamal, executive director of ASK, said the figures represent just the 'tip of the iceberg'. "There are thousands of incidents taking place in our society each day, which are not published in the newspapers."

Today, women have advanced to a great extent in many fields, but men's attitude has not changed, which is one of the reasons for this increasing trend of violence, she said.

Women still lack freedom of choice in the society although many men recognise the women's rights and even allow them to go out for professional purposes, Sultana said.

She also observed that the media could not play its due role to change the social attitude towards the women. Films, dramas and television serials still show the women as subordinate to men.

Gender specialist Maleka Begum said the constitution of Bangladesh enshrines equal rights to all while some family laws do not give equal rights to women.

Women never enjoy equal rights in regard to marriage, divorce, custodian, guardianship and inheritance in the Muslim Family Code, she noted.

The people consider the domestic violence as a 'personal matter', so they do not raise their voice against it or file any case, said Maleka, a researcher. "The women themselves are also responsible for such conditions."

Shahid H Shamim, director of Prabartana and Narigrantha Prabartana, thinks that the unabated consumerism in the society is a major reason for increasing violence.

"On the one hand, poverty and creation of limitless and artificial demand, on the other, through media prompt the men to claim dowry and create pressure on the women," he said.

Advocate Habibun Nesa of Naripakkho believes that complicated legal procedure and lack of logistics and technical support for the law enforcing agencies are an obstacle to ensuring justice for the victims.