Experiencing Vulnerability, Abuse and Deception: Why Women in Sylhet City of Bangladesh Enter into Prostitution

Abstract

Sexual activities and sexual behavior are usually restricted within the institution of marriage in Bangladesh. In spite of social and legal restrictions, a significant number of women and girls are involved in prostitution for which they are stigmatized, treated as unchaste and even untouchable, and ultimately rejected by the society. This article is the result of a qualitative study aimed at gaining understanding about multiple factors causing prostitution in Sylhet city of Bangladesh. By following snowball sampling technique, and taking help from the NGO workers, we conducted 53 semi-structured interviews with street-and hotel-based female prostitutes. The findings reveal that no prostitutes had prior idea regarding professional sex work but they had to enter into this profession for many reasons such as financial crisis, poverty, lack of job facilities, deception by lovers, husbands, brokers, desertion, divorce, physical and (or) emotional and sexual abuse. In addition to this, social stigma, gender based discriminatory attitude and outlook of the male dominated society discouraged the women to leave their profession. Overall, our findings reflect the complex interrelationships between both the push and pull factors that generally keep the women and girls entrapped into prostitution in the context of Bangladesh.