At last, prostitutes have dignity in death

Journalist Taslima with Lucky in Mongla.

Not only do the sex workers of Bangladesh have to live with the stigma of their profession, they also know that when they die they may be thrown into the river or buried in muddy islands.

These islands, or chars, are formed from a build up of soil and silt, but as the islands break down the bodies of the prostitutes just float away.

Outlook's Siobhann Tighe visited a brothel in the sea port of Mongla, which is facing an economic downturn. Here the sex workers in this area have put the money together to buy their own grave yard.

Listen Listen to Siobhann's report

The first thing Siobhann saw when she got to the run down Banishanta Brothel jetty was a poster with the AIDS ribbon.

In Mongla soil erosion is a big problem and the brothel has lost a lot of space to the river.

Journalist Taslima works for a daily newspaper. She came to the brothel in 2000 and initially none of the women would talk to her. But now she treats the prostitutes as friends - and makes sure they know she respects them and they can trust her.

As there are fewer ships stopping in the jetty, the prostitutes have seen a fall in business. Razia, the general secretary of the sex workers organisation in the brothel said 175 people are currently working in the brothel. This is down from as many as 400 in 2000.

The prostitutes have been demanding a graveyard space since 2001.

Dignity at last

HIV poster at the entrance of Banishanta Brothel

Using Taslima as a translator, Siobhann spoke to Lucky, one of the sex workers.

Lucky said she was depressed about her future, as she didn't believe she could ever have a normal life.

"I could be a wife, have a regular life - but since my father is dead who will feed the little ones? I have to do this," she said.

"We do dirty things, we do sins. Society doesn't accept us. Previously if we died then we would be thrown into the river. So I used to feel that even after death we won't have a place in the afterlife."

Lucky believes that now the graveyard is set up, the sex workers can hope there will be life after death for them.

The local sex workers union also believes a graveyard gives women the right to dignity in death as they can now have decent burials.

By their actions, a number of women Siobhann met showed that the graveyard is a source of great pride for them.