Sex workers place 11-point demand to resolve their problems
Staff Correspondent
Sex workers at a rally yesterday placed an 11-point demand to resolve their various problems. These include stopping forced eviction from brothels, arrangement of alternative income and ensuring healthcare facilities for sex workers. They also demanded proper education of their children to discourage them from joining the profession, raising the issue of trafficking at different forums and creating awareness about their human rights. Sex workers from Dhaka and Narayanganj organised the rally under the banner of Sex workers Network of Bangladesh at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city. " We want to live in the society as women and human being, not as sex workers because we were forced to join the profession under various circumstances," said Noori (not her real name). Betrayed by her husband, she engaged herself in sex trade to survive with a girl child who is still in dark about her mother's profession. While reading in class nine Noori left home with Mostafa, a garment worker, without the consent of her parents and later came to know that the man already had a wife living at his village home. "I could not help but divorce the man who married two more women after her marriage, and started to work as a floating sex worker to avoid death from starvation," said Noori. The case of Rani is, however, a little bit different as she came to Dhaka from Narsinghdi as a domestic help. She fell in love with a neighbour who was later found to be a broker of sex worker. He forced her to sell sex with others. Rani is now working in a project of Durjoy Nari Sangha named 'Empowerment of sex workers' and earning nearly Tk 3,500 leaving her past profession. " I will get a loan of Tk 2 lakh from the organisation soon and set up a boutique shop to be self-dependent," she said. Rani said different non- government organisations have stopped funding clinics to provide treatment to sex workers which has increased the possibility of spreading sexually transmitted diseases. The rally was also addressed by President of Durjoy Nari Sangha Shahnaz Begum, Organising Secretary of Sex Workers Network Kajol and President of Ulka Nari Sangha Parul.
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