Penile Mutilation by Female Partners: An Under-Addressed Social Concern in Bangladesh

Background: Penile mutilation is an extreme form of interpersonal violence with severe physical, psychological, and social consequences. Despite its severity, female-perpetrated genital violence remains underreported. Objectives: This study aimed to report cases of penile mutilation in Bangladesh, exploring demographics, perpetrator profiles, motives, injury severity, and legal outcomes. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted using data extracted from online news portals. Web-based searches were performed in both English and Bangla in July 2025, and 43 eligible cases published between 2018 and July 2025 were identified. Results: All perpetrators were women, with 69.8% identified as the victim’s spouse. Over one-third (34.9%) of the victims were aged 18–34 years, and about three-fourths of the victims were married (74.4%). Infidelity, adultery, or multiple marriages emerged as the leading motives (67.4%), while 9.3% of perpetrators cited self-defense during attempted sexual assault. The majority (63.6%) of incidents occurred in rural or semi-urban areas. Full severance of the penis occurred in 23.3% of cases, and legal action was initiated in 37.2% of cases. Conclusions: This study reveals penile mutilation by female partners, mostly committed by spouses, where infidelity, adultery, or multiple marriages were identified as associated factors. Further studies are warranted to identify the reasons and consider preventive measures.