Articles about Sex Workers

Over the years, the female sex workers of Bangladesh have seen the landscape of their profession change significantly. From derogatory labels in the pre-colonial and colonial times to now being legally recognized as sex workers. However, their legal recognition and rights only exist on paper. Sex workers in Bangladesh have little to no access to social, economic and legal resources.  In Bangladesh, sex work is partially criminalized. While selling sex in private is legal, publicly soliciting clients and procuring sex workers remains illegal. Third party involvement i.e., the importing, exporting, hiring or selling women for sex work by pimps is a criminal offense. However, paying for sex itself is not against the law. This legal ambiguity, in addition to vagrancy laws, leave sex workers in the country vulnerable to harassment and prosecution.   Zoya, who is the founder of Bonchita, a brothel-based sex workers collective, and a community volunteer of the Population Services and Training Centre (PSTC) in Bangladesh, says “The presence of 110 brothels has now shrunk to 11." This could be linked to the rule which demands the brothels to obtain an affidavit for police verification, which has been put into place to prevent trafficking.    Sex trafficking remains a pervasive issue not just in Bangladesh, but in South Asia - driven by poverty, gender inequality, weak law enforcement, and cross-border vulnerabilities. Women and children are frequently trafficked not just within Bangladesh, but across borders to India, Nepal, and other neighbouring countries. Trafficked persons are often lured with false promises of employment or marriage, only to be forced into sex work. In addition to legal barriers, sex workers in Bangladesh like in many other South Asian countries, face social exclusion because of perceptions rooted in religious and patriarchal beliefs. Zoya, who is a #GotToBreakFree activist, has been vocally advocating for dismantling the endless cycle of violence against sex workers and their families, that has persisted regardless of political or social shifts, The children of female sex workers in Bangladesh go to schools, to break the cycle of generational stigma and poverty, but they too are discriminated against and excluded, by other students and often by school authorities as well.  Zoya firmly states that “the nation has not yet accepted sex workers as equal citizens”. This exclusion takes different forms. For example, sex workers cannot organise publicly on the streets. The now existing brothels are also all constantly on the verge of demolition and their closure means many sex workers will be forced into street-based and hotel-based sex work, further exposing them to violence, discrimination and exploitation from intermediaries. “The sex workers in Bangladesh, especially women, are stuck in an endless cycle of lifelong violence – violence from the state, society and at our workplace. Our consent is taken for granted and violence is an everyday reality for us.” she adds.