Giving a Voice to the Unheard
Human trafficking is one of many forms of violence against women. UN Women defines human trafficking as the acquisition and exploitation of people, through means, such as force, fraud, coercion, or deception. According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, UNODC, 2018, 72% of all trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls and 4 out of 5 trafficked women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Bangladesh is also not out of this scenario. Things are progressing, but we have a long way to go!
Shomy Hasan Chowdhury, a Global Changemakers Fellow from Bangladesh, strongly advocates for the access to human rights for the sex-workers community in her country. Prostitution is legal in Bangladesh, but it comes with many social and cultural restrictions, given the majority of the population is Muslim. Sex trafficking is a significant sub-form of human trafficking, and is considered to have a high “Return on Investment!” Most of the sex-workers in Bangladesh are victims of sex-trafficking who have not signed up for this profession willingly. They “legally” get into those brothels via fake paperwork, whereas their real documents get seized. More of an open secret, these girls and women spend an inhumane life inside those congested brothels. Some are “floating workers” who are street-based or hotel-based. Underage girls are trafficked to these brothels and forced to take harmful steroids so that they look more adult-like. The “Madams” (senior workers) who are in charge of the girls force them to have unprotected intercourse with clients in return of higher pay, completely disregarding the fact that they are being exposed to various STDs. They are charged for years after years in repaying the “loan” to the Madams which was spent to “buy” them through the pimps! The trafficked girls are often victims of child marriage, domestic abuse, etc who escape their life for better opportunities but instead end up in even darker alleys where there is no way out. It puts a huge toll on their mental health which leads to many committing suicide. Even though most of these girls and women have been forced to join this profession, they are one of the most stigmatized and neglected communities in Bangladesh. People’s negative feelings towards them are so strong that even their advocates like Shomy have to face hate comments, threats, and disapprovals.
Shomy, being a passionate WASH activist, works for most marginalized and hardest-to-reach communities raising awareness about clean water and sanitation through an organization she and her friend Rijve Arefin co-founded, called AWARENESS 360. When the team realized the sex-workers do not have the basic knowledge and provision to WASH services, they initiated Project MBBS (Make Brothels in Bangladesh Safe), raising WASH awareness among sex-workers. GLOBAL CHANGEMAKERS SUPPORTS WASH TALKs of Shomy wholeheartedly, because ultimately her WASH Talks are indeed saving lives! Awareness 360’s pioneering work and courageous steps have motivated many other youth organizations in the country to give this community some much deserving attention. Awareness 360 aims to continue its efforts to ensure WASH access for this community.
During COVID19, at least 20,000 sex workers have become jobless, furthermore, rendering 8000 homeless solely in the capital city. Given the world is fighting a contagious virus, and their business depending on physical contact, this community is guaranteed to be affected the most. Under lockdown these girls and women having no income or savings, are more worried of dying from hunger than COVID19 itself! They do not have the privileges of maintaining social distance, or buying masks, or washing hands with clean water & soap. Due to the social stigma, they cannot even go out and seek help.
Amid the situation, Awareness 360 took action! They launched the COVID19 Relief Fundraiser and provided food and hygiene goods to hundreds of sex-workers. A firm supporter of “No One Should Be Left Behind,” the ultimate goal of Awareness 360 was to shed a spotlight on these sex-workers, giving a voice to the unheard, and visibility to the unseen.
Global Changemakers has an unshakeable mission of supporting youth to create positive change in their communities. A global pioneer in supporting youth-led development, they have trained youth from over 180 countries and provided grants to over 360 youth-led projects, which have had a combined impact on over 6,2 million people. www.global-changemakers.net
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or Global Changemakers.
