The Living Hell of Young Girls Enslaved in Bangladesh's Brothels
By News
Published 5 years ago on
July 8, 2019
Share
[aggregation-styles]
The Guardian
The Guardian
After five years in the brothel, Labonni stopped dreaming of being rescued. Ever since she had been sold to a madam at 13 years old, customers had promised to help her escape. None had followed through. Over time, their faces began to blur together, so she couldn’t remember exactly who had visited before, or how many men had come by that day. There’s usually one every hour, starting from 9am.
“Sometimes I wake up and I don’t understand why I’m not dead yet,” she says.
Now 19, Labonni says she’s resigned to life – and death – in Mymensingh, a brothel village in the centre of Bangladesh. Here, between 700 and 1,000 women and girls are working in the sex trade – many of them against their will.
Girls as young as 12 sleep five to a room; their beds only cordoned off by torn cotton curtains. Music blares from heavyset sound systems and homemade liquor is poured from plastic bottles to numb the pain. Men swagger shirtless down the alleys looking for girls. Ten minutes of sex will cost them TK400 (about £3.66) – but it’s money that mainly lands in the pockets of those running the brothel.
“Sometimes I wake up and I don’t understand why I’m not dead yet,” she says.
Now 19, Labonni says she’s resigned to life – and death – in Mymensingh, a brothel village in the centre of Bangladesh. Here, between 700 and 1,000 women and girls are working in the sex trade – many of them against their will.
Girls as young as 12 sleep five to a room; their beds only cordoned off by torn cotton curtains. Music blares from heavyset sound systems and homemade liquor is poured from plastic bottles to numb the pain. Men swagger shirtless down the alleys looking for girls. Ten minutes of sex will cost them TK400 (about £3.66) – but it’s money that mainly lands in the pockets of those running the brothel.
By Corinne Redfern | 6 July 2019
RELATED TOPICS:
Hamas Is Sending a Delegation to Egypt for Further Cease-Fire Talks in the Latest Sign of Progress
World /
9 hours ago
DEA’s Marijuana Reclassification Could Revive California’s Struggling Pot Industry
Cannabis /
9 hours ago
US Airstrike Targeting Al-Qaida Leader in Syria Killed a Farmer, American Military Says
World /
10 hours ago
Lagging Revenue Drives California Budget Deficit as Deadline Nears
Opinion /
11 hours ago
Police Investigating Possible Vandalism at Jewish Temple, Catholic Church
Fresno police are investigating an incident of flyers posted on the exterior windows of Temple Beth Israel, and also at St. Anthony of Padua...
Crime /
5 hours ago
Categories
Latest
Videos
World /
9 hours ago
Hamas Is Sending a Delegation to Egypt for Further Cease-Fire Talks in the Latest Sign of Progress
Cannabis /
9 hours ago
DEA’s Marijuana Reclassification Could Revive California’s Struggling Pot Industry
World /
10 hours ago