Forum Theatre for Bystanders Model to prevent gender violence among public university students of Bangladesh
Background
According to the UNDP Gender Inequality Index 2025, Bangladesh ranks 125 out of 172 countries. In Bangladesh, men who had the least gender-equitable attitudes were more likely to use physical violence, either on its own or with the addition of sexual violence. Moreover, 76% of female students faced sexual harassment on the campuses of higher educational institutions. There is increasing emphasis on the prevention of different forms of violence against women in low and middle-income countries. A systematic review provides evidence of programs aimed to address underlying risk factors for violence, including social norms that condone violence and gender inequality. Previous studies have identified that gender-based inequalities and violence require interventions that raise questions and challenge established gender norms, and critically evaluate the behaviors that produce and sustain inequalities in society. Efforts to prevent gender violence are largely absent in Bangladesh. Like in many low-income countries, gender violence is mainly addressed in Bangladesh through post-crisis support to the abused women under the Multi-Sectoral Programme on Violence Against Women. A few GOs and NGOs provide support for the victim in the form of One Stop Crisis Centres (OCC) and Victim Support Centres (VCC). However, it is necessary to prevent violence before it occurs.
Interventions for gender violence prevention should emphasize promoting equitable social norms and increasing awareness of gender violence and community responsibility to prevent violence. The university students can play a leading role in promoting equitable social norms. This study will implement the Forum Theatre for Bystanders (FTB) Model, a community-based intervention programme, aimed at building positive social norms among university students. Targeting university students for intervention for the prevention of gender violence will create safer environments on campus and will foster a generation that is more informed, empathetic, and committed to eliminating gender-based violence in the community. The current research will assess the possibility of FTB Model to promote gender equality and to prevent gender violence among university students in Bangladesh.
So far, ‘Forum Theatre for Bystanders’ as a method of intervention has never before been implemented in Bangladesh. This study is largely informed by Mitchell and Freitag’s Forum Theatre for the Bystanders (FTB) Model where they adapted Boal’s original concept of Forum Theatre for effective bystander intervention aimed at stopping gender violence in the university campus (Mitchell and Freitag 2011). Given the paucity of violence prevention efforts in Bangladesh, the current study will apply the Forum Theatre for Bystanders (FTB) Model for the first time on a university campus, aiming to promote equitable gender norms and prevent gender violence among university students in Bangladesh.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of ‘Forum Theatre for Bystanders (FTB) Model’, a community-based intervention to prevent gender violence and promote equitable social norms among the public university students of Bangladesh.
The specific objectives of this research are as follows:
- To examine the effects of the FTB Model in changing the knowledge and awareness to identify different types of gender violence
- To measure the changes in attitudes of the students regarding the social acceptance of violence against women
- To assess the Changes in victim-blaming attitude
- To assess the sense of community responsibility to prevent violence
