Kandapara brothel in Tangail is one of 14 official brothels in Bangladesh. It consists of more than small rooms, which together make up what is in essence a prison for around sex workers. Hashi embraces her 'husband' in her room. Many young and inexperienced prostitutes have 'lovers' or 'husbands'.
Rescued from sex slavery, red tape traps Bangladeshi girls in India
Teenage prostitutes in Bangladesh | The Wider Image | Reuters
After several failed attempts to escape the brothel in the eastern state of West Bengal where she was trapped for six years, Priya was rescued along with other girls from Bangladesh and India in a raid by police and anti-trafficking campaigners. Heading home and pursuing her musical ambitions beckoned, or so she thought. But three years after her rescue, the prospects of making it back to her family appeared ever more distant. For Priya, now 24, was one of about Bangladeshi sex trafficking survivors stuck in shelters in West Bengal - with many having waited years for official clearance to go home due to complex and lengthy bureaucracy across the two countries. Victims wishing to return home must first gain approval from police, social workers, judges, border forces and bureaucrats at both state and federal level, a process that involves about 15 steps, analysis by the Thomson Reuters Foundation has revealed.
Bangladesh shocked by rise in sex crimes, child rape
Please refresh the page and retry. The case highlights what activists say is a culture of impunity over sexual violence in the South Asian country of million people, as well as abuse rife in around 20, seminaries that educate mostly poor and rural students. Nusrat Jahan Rafi was doused in kerosene and set on fire on April 6 after she made a sexual harassment complaint against the principal of her rural Islamic seminary. The head teacher, who a court in the southern coastal town of Feni found had ordered the brutal killing from jail after being arrested over the harassment claim, was among those sentenced to death.
We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration. Multiple incidents of ghastly sexual violence in recent months have raised serious concerns over the safety of women and children in Bangladesh. Experts blame "a culture of impunity" for the spike in sex crimes.