The House of Parliament revisited
by Shahidul Alam

Shangshad Bhaban, the parliament building of Bangladesh is said to be an architectural masterpiece, designed in the nineteen sixties, the major part of its life has been spent under military rule. Times have changed, Dhaka has become a bustling modern city, the sprawling grounds of the parliament have taken on a new life. Families gather, people play, roller skate, cycle and practice karate. Ice cream vendors and balloon wallas join in with children selling peanuts, drinking water, and of course cups of lemon tea. It is also where peer educators — Fatema, Ameena and their friends — spend each evening distributing condoms to the sex workers who work there. They don't simply distribute condoms. There is a strong bond between the women, and they share laughter as much as they share sorrow. They exchange stories, but also discuss what to feed a new born baby, what treatment to take when one is ill, and which clients to avoid. They develop collective strategies to dodge the police, Fatema and the other more senior peer educators deal with the often aggressive men who hang around. They provide comfort when one of them is violently treated, provide money at times of need. A local NGO provides condoms, and pays them a small stipend. They also learn to read and to write and get basic health education, specifically learning about AIDS. How it is spread, how it can be prevented, and about safe sex. They are aware that there are very few options available to them. Some want to learn driving, others want to go abroad. Some hope they will get married and have homes of their own. Here as in other countries, there are older women, younger women and pregnant women. There are eight-year-olds and Hijras, the ones of ambiguous sexuality. The Hijras earn the most. Surrounding them all are the men. They walk and they stare and they negotiate. Mostly they leer. And then there are the police. It is a tenuous survival. Some of the women have tried to start a different life, but they all came back, they all agree, there is no way out.