It is not banned in Bangladesh—the Constitution discourages prostitution, while the Penal Code criminalizes only the selling and buying of minor girls (below the age of 18) for prostitution—and an adult person can declare entry into the profession before a magistrate.
However, sex workers are safer only when they live in groups inside a brothel or government-registered facility. These housing complexes are usually a combination of small clusters of one-room houses owned or rented by independent adult women, who invite visitors to their rooms in exchange for money. Some clients visit brothels to buy or consume drugs.
On the other hand, men who are conscious of their reputation avoid visiting brothels and tend to hire floating sex workers.
The women in this profession do not usually leave brothels, fearing a worse life outside the facilities. They continue to work as long as they can draw customers. However, due to a condition unfavourable for children, the sex workers send their sons and daughters to safe homes or organizations like Shapla Mahila Sangstha in Faridpur for better care.
Residents of brothels say they are trapped in a vicious cycle inside the compound. Very few of them would want to leave the facility despite facing incidents of torture and intimidation by supervisors and trading by pimps.
They believe that life outside the brothels will be tougher due to the negative social views and harassment by law enforcers and influential people. Yet some women leave brothels with their clients with the hope of leading a normal life but often fall prey to human traffickers.
Chanchala Mandal, executive director of the organization, said that they have about 12 types of training programs for the skill development of the sex workers, including tailoring, batik, boutiques, and self-employment projects like a parlour.
She says it is very difficult to improve their quality of life unless they have full interest, adding that most sex workers are not confident. They are mostly uneducated or semi-educated.
"They are less interested in themselves. They don't want to get out of this profession. They think of themselves as small or negligible and do not want to mix with society. That is why we pay special attention to their children so that the future generation does not come into this profession. We are working to build their future."
The children are kept in two separate homes run by Shapla Mahila Sangstha and provided with various facilities, including education, treatment and accommodation, for smooth integration into society.
"There are 90 children here. We do regular counselling. We are working to make them normal people in society. We have separate teachers for Arabic, music, dance, and drawing classes," she added.
Stance of local administration
Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Kamrul Ahsan Talukder is not sure whether prostitution is a legal or illegal profession in the country. He suggests that it is not possible to give any legal benefits if it is an illegal occupation.
"Birth registration of children of sex workers is being done digitally. Shapla Mahila Sangstha is working with them to bring them back to the mainstream. We have them under monitoring," the DC told Dhaka Tribune.
Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Liton Dhali said they had plans to provide livelihood and rehabilitation for sex workers. "But it is a recognized profession. They have to think about how interested they are in leaving this profession. And with their help, the rich of society will advance."
What the laws say
The Constitution and domestic laws of Bangladesh discourage prostitution, but the related laws have still remained ambiguous. However, an adult person has the option to declare his or her entry into the profession before a magistrate.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Kinds of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw), which asks all the states "to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of trafficking in women and exploitation or prostitution of women."
Section 290 of the Penal Code is enforced against floating sex traders under the public nuisance category, describing—without mentioning it—the offences affecting public health, safety, convenience, decency, and morals. The highest punishment is Tk200.
Apart from these, prostitution is also mentioned as a punishable offence in two identical sections of the Khulna Metropolitan Police Ordinance, 1985 and Chittagong Metropolitan Police Ordinance, 1978 with a sentence of up to three months and a fine of Tk500 for "soliciting for purposes of prostitution".
The Section reads that any person shall be punishable if s/he -- by words, gestures, or indecent personal exposure -- attracts or endeavours to attract attention for the purposes of prostitution; or solicits or molests any person for the purposes of prostitution "in any street or public place or within sight of, and in such manner as to be seen or heard from, any street or public place, whether from within any house or building or not".
Sections 372 and 373 of the Penal Code declare the selling and buying of minor girls below the age of 18 for the purpose of prostitution a punishable offence. The offenders under these two sections are said to be punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term that may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to a fine.
