Daulatdia: One of the Largest Brothels in the World

Source: http://danielmelbye.com/tales-from-daulatdia-brothel-the-dream-that-was-once-my-own/

I recently discovered two videos, one published by The Guardian entitled "The Children Trapped in Bangladesh's Brothel Village" and the other published by Al Jazeera entitled "Bangladesh's Biggest Brothel" (links below). What I learned from these videos stunned me and prompted me to write this post. Warning: this post is quite long (because I basically sum up much of the information in the videos) and includes intense and depressing info.

To preface this blog post, I had little knowledge about Bangladesh before stumbling across these videos. I learned a little about Bangladesh, such as the facts that it is located between India and Myanmar (see map) and is a large Muslim-majority democracy.

Source: https://www.channel3000.com/weather/300000-evacuated-as-cyclone-nears-bangladesh/521941048

However, the videos did not focus on Bangladesh as a whole. Instead, they centered on a town called Daulatdia, a town basically built on exploitation, as it is known for being one of the largest brothels in the entire world. Around 1,600 women sell themselves there to around 3,000 customers each day. Many of the prostitutes were either kidnapped and forced into the trade, sold by family members, tricked by boyfriends or pimps, or were born into the area and joined it to survive. Most of them have no hopes of ever leaving. The brothel is open year round, and prostitution basically drives the town's economy (being its main trade and source of income for many of its residents).

Despite having a constitution that endeavors to prevent prostitution, the Bangladesh government has effectively decriminalized it in Daulatdia, making prostitution and many other vices and crimes virtually legal in the area. Daulatdia is "a place where normal rules don't apply," because normally in this society, there are many strict cultural and religious codes and rules governing the relations between men and women (there is an intense shame of having sex outside of marriage, etc.). Furthermore, while the selling of alcohol in Bangladesh is illegal (except for certain circumstances), Daulatdia is known for selling smuggled drinks and drugs, both of which are quite prevalent in the area.

The average age of newly arrived sex workers there is 14 (the age of consent in Bangladesh). Many of the kids have been sold to the brothel for the equivalent of 200 pounds (around 260 US dollars) and are expected to repay this "debt" when they start working. I was enraged after hearing this (well, throughout all of the videos but especially at this point), because of how unfair and unjust the entire situation is; not only are many of these children kidnapped from their families, but they are then expected to pay off a debt that is not their own but was thrust upon them. It is supposedly their debt, even though they had no choice in being there.

While I listened to the descriptions of the brothel, I kept thinking about how this town was even possible. I mean, how could an entire town basically survive off of (forced) prostitution?* However, the videos then talked about the town's location. Daulatdia is located at the junction of railway lines, the main road leading to the capital, and a ferry port, so thousands of people pass through the town daily. Around 2,000 trucks stop their each day, and most of the prostitutes' clients are these truck drivers. In the first video, one truck driver said that he frequents one particular brothel quite often. When asked if his wife knows, he said "no, she'd kill me."** So, even with the societal stigma of having sex outside of marriage, it clearly happens (a lot) here. Another man remarks that he works hard and goes to the brothel to have a good time. He said he goes there and "takes" the girls he likes and does not feel bad because "everyone deserves to have some fun." But, what about the women? Where is their "fun"?

*I deliberately say forced because even the women who join the trade willingly are only doing so because they have no other way to feed themselves or their families, thus making them the victims of a terrible situation by forcing them to become prostitutes in order to survive.  
** FYI–the short interviews throughout both of these videos were not in English but had subtitles, so all of the quotes in this post are English translations.

Both of the videos also described what it is like for children, particularly the children of prostitutes, living in Daulatdia. Most kids grow up seeing the trade; many mothers have to accept customers in front of them and/or live in one-room apartments, resulting in the kids either hiding in a corner or the room or under the bed or going outside while their mothers are with a client. As a result, it is hard for the children to play and enjoy themselves (especially since even 9-year-olds girls are subjected to the attention of the local visitors and pimps). Many of the children will also most likely never know their fathers. One mother remarked that "there's nothing here to make them into good people. But I don't have any other place to keep them. If I did, I would have kept [my daughter] outside and away from all this and I feel bad about that." Another girl, who was a virgin when she arrived but has now had around 60 clients, was sold to a brothel by her exploitative neighbor. She said that she feels like she is "a prisoner being watched. They're afraid [she] might run away and they'd lose money." Another girl remarked that she was fearful for a young girl (it wasn't clear, but they were either sisters or close friends) and what could happen to her. The girl commented that "nothing's happened yet, but it's always possible because of where [they] live. If it doesn't happen today, it will happen tomorrow." Through the different interviews in the videos, it was quickly made clear that these children never had the chance to be kids. They all had to worry about their safety and never had a chance to just have fun.

While there is a safe house on the edge of the village where children can escape (learn, play, and eat a little), at least for a few hours, many children do not attend school. One little girl said that she has dreams of being a doctor and that she would have a big house "outside" (meaning outside of Daulatdia) but would still always visit her mom. This scene broke my heart for two main reasons. Firstly, this reminded me how much these kids are just like us, meaning they all have hopes and wishes for the future and love for their families. Secondly, I was saddened by the fact that she might never be able to achieve her dream, because she lives in a terrible area and is not able to go to school. And, the fact that more than 100 young girls become prostitutes in Daulatdia every year makes it seem highly unrealistic that this young girl is going to be able to avoid the sex trade there forever.

The videos not only interviewed the kids but also featured interviews of many of the adult prostitutes. The over-arching takeaway from the female prostitutes testimonies was the fact that they do what they must do to survive and bring in money (for how else could they pay for their children's education or their family's food?). One kidnapped woman who was sold into the trade at around 8 years old sees 5-6 clients a day and sells herself for the equivalent of 2 pounds (around 2.60 US dollars) each time. The kidnapped woman said she was offered 2 chocolates by another woman, brought to the town, and then sold. She was threatened and forced to stay. After she paid off her debt, she kept working as an independent sex worker in order to feed herself, pay rent, and look after her daughter (she has no other way to earn money). One mother of 6, a former prostitute, remarks that her eldest daughter, who is also her family's main source of income, could be making so much more money if she did not just work 6 hours a day. However, her daughter has been a prostitute since she was 13 and does the job out of love for her mother and siblings. The daughter says that children are not an option for her though, because they would immediately be branded by the society she lives in. She would love to have kids if she lived "outside," though. The daughter also mentioned that, in her frame of reference, relationships involve men beating women and stealing their money, so she has never been in one. Again, it was made clear that the prostitutes in Daulatdia are forced into this way of life and have so many options stripped from them.

Even though prostitution is the main source of income for most women in the town, and many are forced into it or have no other options to survive, the prostitutes are still insulted for their professions. Many of the locals oppose the children of prostitutes going to school with their children and also refuse to allow prostitutes (or their children) to be buried in their cemeteries.***  One teacher at the school for the children of prostitutes (who is a former prostitute herself) remarks that, given her past, she knows what the children are going through better than anyone. She says that they are looked down on by society and that the girls are tempted to join the trade while the boys are tempted by drugs. Her main goal is to protect the children by giving them an education.

***There is now a separate school just for the children of prostitutes (there are around 500 kids there now) that has been set up by aid organizations. And, while prostitutes used to resort to throwing dead bodies into the nearby river, the prostitutes now have their own cemetery (albeit, a very plain one). 

Another thing that struck me by the videos was how dangerous the situation is in Daulatdia. Aside from the horrendous issue of rape and sexual assault that I am sure happens frequently, there are many other dangers for the women working as prostitutes. One such danger comes in the form of Oradexon. Oradexon is a steroid used on cattle to boost muscle growth. In Daulatdia, girls use Oradexon to gain weight (since male clients typically view curvy girls as more attractive than skinny ones). People can buy Oradexon anywhere in Daulatdia; the dosage for 1 day is 10 cents, and you don't need a prescription. As a result, many women take the drug. One woman, who takes Oradexon in order to receive more clients, says that the drug does fatten them up, but it ruins their bodies in the process by causing seizures and getting them out of shape. A local doctor says that the drug is so dangerous because it makes people fat, causes osteoporosis, damages the liver, and is fatal in the long run. The woman in the video, even after hearing the doctor say all of this and after having friends die because of Oradexon, continues to take it in order to make a living. She said, "Allah called them home. When he calls, I'll go as well." Oradexon is also not the only danger. Sudden fights and deaths among the girls are normal because of rivalries and drug use. And, while there are no statistics on STDs and AIDS there, the prostitutes life expectancies are low, and death is everywhere.

These two videos made a very deep impression on me. As you can probably tell, once I started watching them, I found it difficult to stop. I was reminded by how easy it is for me, an privileged American woman, to look at the world and say "wow, we're progressing. While there is still work to be done, women are fighting back and starting to be treated as equal to men." However, that is clearly not the case for many other women. I need to continue stepping out of my little ignorant American bubble because there are still large portions of the world in which women are not treated equally to men and are instead abused and exploited, just like the women in Daulatdia. I hope that, through education, activism, and (hopefully) change, the future women in Daulatdia get the chance to live a life that is not ruled by prostitution and instead are free to make their own choices.

Sources:
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYPyI1agpiw
2) https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2017/07/bangladesh-biggest-brothel-170726081750179.html
3) https://www.savethechildren.org.nz/our-impacts/the-solutions/projects/samreen/
4) https://www.heritage.org/index/country/bangladesh