Nearly 5,000 sex-workers of Daulatdia brothel, the largest brothel of the country, have been spending their days in utter misery since the entrance of outsiders (clients) at the brothel has been banned from Friday (March 20) for next 20-day to avoid Coronavirus infestation. Rajbari district police enforced the ban.
According to Rajbari district police, the Corona Virus would take to a serious turn due to unhygienic, dense-overcrowded environment, presence of a large number of clients at a small space and absence of consciousness among sex workers and their clients as well.
As a result of imposing the ban, the regular income of nearly 5,000 sex-workers of Daulatdia has remained suspended and most of them were now spending their days without food. Specially, the condition of aged sex-workers is miserable.
While visiting the brothel areas on Saturday last, this correspondent noticed, police and sex workers themselves holding sticks on their hands were standing at the entrances of the brothel and resisting the entry of outsiders as well as clients inside the brothel. Among five entry points of the brothel, five have been closed and only one entry point has been kept open for emergency thoroughfares.
However, there are hundreds of sex-workers at the brothel who survive on hand to mouth- i.e. they have to earn daily to manage their daily bread. It would be extremely hard for them to survive unless an alternative source of income is created for them on an emergency basis. Sex-workers' leaders at the brothel maintained, there might be a humanitarian disaster unless no immediate measure to ensure food and essential goods security is ensured for the trapped sex-workers.
Several sex-workers at the brothel informed, they were forced to adopt the profession for maintaining their daily life. They used to stand near the gates to invite their clients without considering who is healthy and who is affected by the disease. They have to serve and satisfy all their clients irrespective of their health condition.
But, on the plea of Coronavirus panic, entry of clients inside the brothel has been suspended which is like to kick on their stomach. Due to the ban on the entry of the clients, their only way of income has been stopped. Though their house rent has been waived, no one has still come forward to provide the cost of their daily food and other necessities, lamented some sex-workers.
They demanded the government would provide their daily food and other essentials until the end of such situational turmoil. Some house owners at the brothel informed they were not allowing the customers to enter into the brothel considering the situation and the tenants of the houses have also suspended the entry of their customers.
They further mentioned, they have waived the house rent of this month but their clients need money to survive. They demanded the government to assist those helpless sex-workers to survive during this time of emergency.
Jhumur Begum, President of Daultdia brothel's Helpless Female Unity Organisation informed, most of the women of this brothel depend on their daily income for their survival. Only a few might have some savings of money through which they may survive a couple of days but most of other women are completely helpless. However, she said, police have assured them of food assistance within a short time.
Ashiqur Rahman, Officer-in-charge of Goalanda Ghat police station informed, the entrance of all outsiders in Daulatdia brothel has been banned till April-5. It is a large brothel and more than 1,600 listed sex-workers live in this brothel. Customers from all across the country visit the brothel that is why it is under high risk of Corona virus infection.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rubaiyad Hayat Shiplu informed, an appeal seeking relief assistance for the sex-workers of the brothel has been sent to the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management and the entrance of outsiders at the brothel has been suspended. He hoped to distribute 30-kilogramme of rice and Taka 2,000 to each resident of the brothel within a day or two.
Mijanur Rahman, Superintendent of Police of Rajbari informed, entrance of outsiders has been banned into Daulatdia brothel from March-21 to April-5. Police have been deployed at the gates of the brothel to resist any entry of outsiders there.
Even the insiders of the brothel were also assisting police to resist any entry of the outsiders. To avoid any humanitarian crisis, application has already been sent to the ministry of relief and disaster management to assist the residents of the brothel, he added.
