Thirty six-old Ruleka Begum of Govindpur village in Gaibandha feels that sexual violence that married women face is an everyday occurrence but remains an issue shrouded in silence and shame. “Women seldom talk about it and feel embarrassed to discuss it even among other women. They have come to accept being coerced into sex as something they need to tolerate and believe that being non-reciprocal is their fault. But I think this issue needs to be forced into the open so that women realise that they need not and should not carry this burden.

We will perhaps be greeted by silence by women in the initial years of our efforts but we should see their silence to be as important as speech. It is the fear of the consequences of verbalising her experiences that may keep a woman silent as much as her embarrassment to speak on the issue. We need to forge a bond amongst ourselves and raise our voices. I helped a woman who was traumatised by her husband in this regard. I spoke to him and requested him not to force her into submission.”