©
Shahidul Alam / Drik
February 2000
"... we are under a constitutional obligation to close down this profession and to make the inmates of brothels respectable and to bring them back to a normal life."
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 19th August, 1999
Waiting for clients in the precincts of the Parliament Building
"[In
a nation] where male and female students do not enjoy any security, how
can the government ensure the security of prostitutes? Instead of providing
security for students and stopping violence, the government comes to rehabilitate
us. 'The bride herself is unconcerned, the minister lies awake, tosses
and turns.' Those for whom rehabilitation is intended, they themselves
don't want it."- Hajera, Durjoy Nari Shongho