/ IN TERN A TIO N A L JO U R N A L ON M IN O R ITY A N D G RO U P RIGHTS v S 1 B R ILL N IJH O F F 21 ( 2014 ) 547-556 brill.com /ijgr Structural Violence: A Tale of Three Women from Marginalized Communities in Bangladesh Ashrafuzzaman Khan Researcher, Research & Evaluation Division, BRAC, Bangladesh zamanreaz@gmaiL com The notion of structural violations of hum an rights is increasingly gaining currency in international hum an rights arenas. Structural violence yields a complex picture of inequality in term s of social, economic, political and hum an rights arenas. The study intended to un d erstan d th e ex te n t o f s tru c tu ra l v io lence w ith a special reference to the state o f h u m an rig h ts o f th e w om en of the m arginalized com m unities Bihari, Garo and Ahmadiyya in Bangladesh. The study em ployed a qualitative approach, applying a case study technique that dealt with three wom en of these com m unities and aiming to substantiate structural violence in relation to hum an rights perspectives. The study revealed that the w om en of the three m arginalized com m unities experienced diverse forms of violence, including psychological, physical, sexual, etc., that violated their hum an rights. T here w as also a failure to restore their peace and security. The theory of structural violence provides a useful framework for understanding the structural inequalities that system atically deny m arginalized com m unities, especially w om en of these com m unities, from achieving basic hum an rights in their daily lives. Keywords structural violence - marginalized com m unity - wom en - hum an rights - Bangladesh 1 Introduction Unequal access to resources, political power, education, health care or to legal standing are all forms of structural violence. Structural violence occurs Abstract © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2014 | D 0I 10.1163/15718115-02104005