http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/within-these-walls-inside-the-legal-brothels-of-bangladesh-a7388676.html
Within these walls: inside the legal brothels of Bangladesh
It’s the oldest profession in the world and Kandapara brothel in Tangail is the
oldest in the country. Kenneth Dickerman on the daily lives of a sex workers in
Bangladesh (Photographs by Sandra Hoyn)
a.. Kenneth Dickerman a.. Monday 31 October 2016 a.. 95 comments
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Kajol with a customer (All photographs by Sandra Hoyn)
Bangladesh is one of the few Muslim countries in the world where prostitution
is legal. The Kandapara brothel in the district of Tangail is the oldest and
second-largest in the country – it has existed for some 200 years. It was
demolished in 2014, but has been established again with the help of local NGOs.
Many of the women were born there, grew up there and didn’t know where else to
go when it disappeared.
Women waiting for customers in the Kandapara brothel
Supporters of the brothel believe that sex work is also work – and that these
women don’t want to do something else. The women themselves demonstrated for
their rights as workers, and so at the end of 2014, the Bangladesh National
Women Lawyers Association convinced the High Court that the eviction of the sex
workers was an illegal act. The sex workers quickly returned to their homes.
Mim showers in the Kandapara brothel
Today, the area’s “brothel district” is surrounded by a wall. In the narrow
streets, there are food stalls, tea shops and street vendors. The brothel is a
place with its own rules and hierarchies of power which are completely
different from mainstream society. For example, inside the brothels, the women
are weak but also powerful. The most vulnerable stage is when a young sex
worker enters the brothel – she is called a bonded girl. Bonded girls are
usually 12 to 14 years old.
Dipa crying
Papia with two customers on a bed
People congregate inside the brothel
Priya teases a friend
Twin babies of one of the workers in the Kandapara brothel
A man tries to kiss Priya
Asma with a customer. She was born here
Kajol
Kajol with her 6-month-old baby Mehedi and a customer on her bed
Pakhi and Mim
The Kandapara brothel in Tangail is the oldest and second-largest one in
Bangladesh. It has existed for 200 years
These girls come from poor families and are often victims of trafficking. They
have no freedom or rights. They belong to a madam, have debts and are not
allowed to go outside or keep their money. When they have paid all their debts,
which takes somewhere between one to five years, they become independent sex
workers. Then, they can refuse customers and keep their own money. From the
moment that a woman has paid her debts, she is free to leave the brothel. But
these women are socially stigmatized outside their “homes” and thus often
choose to stay and continue supporting their families with their earnings.
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