Sex, Slavery, and Drugs in Bangladesh
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FunTranscript
00:00We have a lot of people coming to us, it's a very bad world, it's not a sin, it's a life
00:20I don't know if I can live without prostitution
00:50I don't know if I can live without prostitution
01:20We're taking the back entrance into the brothel
01:24To avoid any unwanted attention, a local NGO worker agreed to take us into Dalatia
01:32It is estimated that half the sex workers here are under 18
01:36But accurate figures are difficult to verify, as underage girls are often forced to lie about their age
01:50How old are you?
01:55I'm 20
01:58How many customers can you take in a day?
02:05About 10-12
02:08See all the condoms, dirty condoms, cigarettes, gutter water, pee, poo, you name it, open defecation happens here
02:29Straight up beat on them
02:33Despite the Bangladeshi constitution vowing to prevent gambling and prostitution, the authorities tolerate Dalatia
02:42A powerful local family owns the brothel, which has existed since the British colonial period
02:48Hi!
02:52Have you ever dreamt of leaving this place?
02:55I've seen a lot of dreams, but I've never thought of leaving
03:02I just want to come here, earn money and leave
03:07I don't have a good heart
03:10I don't have a good heart, so I don't want to leave
03:15I don't want to leave
03:20These alleyways are so narrow
03:23I mean, on every corner of the brothel you'll see alleyways just like this
03:27And it doesn't seem that big, but it's quite massive
03:31And it'll randomly take you to spots like this, someone's house
03:35We arrived at the room of Anupa
03:38Anupa is a young sex worker who has been trafficked into the brothel
03:42Now working independently, she was previously bonded to a madam
03:46Bonded labor is common among the poor in Bangladesh
03:49When a person's labor is demanded as a security to repay a loan
03:53Girls are often trafficked into sex work in Dalatia and sold to a madam
03:58They are then forced to work off the fee that was paid for them
04:02A debt which takes years to clear
04:05Why did you come here?
04:08When we were young, my uncle took us to the brothel
04:14He took us to the railway station in Dhaka
04:18Then I grew up in the brothel
04:21When I was with my uncle, I used to work as a housemaid
04:28After work, I used to go to the brothel
04:33After 12 pm, I used to go to the brothel
04:38You used to go to the brothel?
04:40Yes, I used to go to the brothel to buy medicine
04:47How long have you been here?
04:49I've been here for three and a half years
04:51I can't go out, I can only sleep during the day
04:57How much does the customer pay?
04:59The customer pays half of what I earn
05:07Who is your customer?
05:09My grandmother
05:13She used to kiss me
05:15She was a man
05:18Did you come together?
05:20Yes, there were 10-12 people
05:2310-12 people?
05:25When I was with my grandmother, she was beautiful like you
05:36What medicine did she give you?
05:39She gave me medicine to improve my health
05:43Did she tell you her name?
05:45No, she didn't
05:47After I got married, I heard that there was a battle in Africa
05:53After the battle, I had to go to the brothel
05:56I used to go to the brothel to buy medicine
06:00What happened to your children?
06:02My children died
06:06I had to take a lot of medicine
06:23They're commonly used by farmers to fatten their cattle
06:27We're meeting a local pharmacist here
06:30But the pharmacist here is not the typical ones you would see in the US
06:34Where they're accredited and have education
06:37These guys are essentially just shopkeepers that sell all kinds of drugs
06:41Like antidepressants, opiates, anything you can imagine they'll have
06:45And you don't need a prescription to get the medicine
06:48These are all self-healing drugs
06:55How much do you charge for these?
06:58How much?
06:59Five
07:00Five daily?
07:01Yes
07:02How much does it cost?
07:04Five Taka per leaf
07:06One leaf for five Taka?
07:07One leaf for ten Taka
07:09Fifty-fifty each
07:12One strip of this is five Taka
07:14Which is like two cents
07:17Is it addictive?
07:19No, not at all
07:20Then why don't you give it to five girls?
07:22If you give it to them, they'll give you more
07:28Cow steroids are highly addictive and can cause many harmful side effects
07:33Including diabetes, kidney failure, and can even lead to death
07:37These risks are ignored by the madams
07:40In Bangladesh, a fuller-bodied look is considered more desirable
07:45And steroids help make underage girls look older and more developed
07:50Not only does this help madams pass off underage girls as a teen
07:54This look also attracts more customers
07:59Most of the pimps in Bangladeshi brothels are women
08:02And we're about to meet with one
08:04They're also known as madams
08:06They keep girls as their slaves
08:09So they take a majority of their salary
08:12According to some of the people I've spoken to here
08:14The madame we're about to meet with keeps about eight girls
08:17Most of which are under 18
08:19Come here
08:23Come here
08:24What else do you want?
08:26Is this your house?
08:27No, this is not my house
08:28This is Thakar's house
08:30Do you have any medicine here?
08:32No, we don't have any medicine
08:33What is this?
08:34We don't have any medicine
08:35This is oil
08:36She just put it like that
08:38If you give her this oil, her head will hurt
08:40She said my head will cool down from taking it
08:43So off we go
08:45What kind of girls do you look for?
08:47Do you look for beautiful girls?
08:48No
08:49Fat or skinny?
08:50No
08:51If you want to do business here, you don't need to be beautiful or fat
08:55As long as you're medium-sized, the business will be good
08:59If you're a dark-skinned girl with a round face, it won't work
09:03Do you have any daughters?
09:05Is this your daughter?
09:06No, this is my daughter's house
09:09How many people come to her house?
09:11100 people
09:12She doesn't get any help
09:13She doesn't get any help all day
09:15Do you give your daughters any medicine?
09:21No, my daughters don't take any medicine
09:24I used to give them some medicine
09:26The one in front of you?
09:27Yes
09:28It was very dry
09:29It was as dry as a pot
09:30It was like this
09:32I used to give them 8 tablets
09:34I used to give them for 15 days
09:37After that, their health got better
09:40So she has been taking steroids to gain weight
09:45So that she can get more customers
09:48Do you get customers every day?
09:51No, not every day
09:52I don't get customers all day
09:54I got one customer last night
09:57I don't get customers all day
09:59If I don't get customers at night, I don't get customers
10:04Are you going inside?
10:05Yes
10:06I'm going inside
10:09So this is her room
10:10This is where she gets her clients
10:12How do you like working here?
10:14I like it
10:15Do you like it?
10:16Yes
10:17Do you like it?
10:21Tell me
10:22I like it
10:24Do you like living here?
10:26Where are your parents?
10:28My parents are all here
10:32What happened to them?
10:34Nothing happened to them
10:37They are all fine
10:39Do they know that you are here?
10:41No
10:42What about your parents?
10:44I came here, but they didn't let me in
10:48Why didn't you let them in?
10:50I didn't do anything
10:52I came alone
10:54What happened? Why don't you want to tell me?
10:57Nothing happened
10:58You came alone?
10:59I came alone
11:01Okay
11:02There is nothing to worry about
11:04Everything is fine
11:06I'm happy to be with everyone
11:12How is your wife?
11:14Is she okay?
11:15Yes
11:16Is she okay?
11:17Yes
11:21Oh, thank you
11:23She just gave me a beetle leaf snack
11:33The sun is coming down
11:35and the place turns totally different here at night
11:38More men start coming in
11:40and it becomes really sketchy
12:02They are coming
12:12The brothel is busiest in the evenings
12:15Maya, a sex worker and long time resident
12:17gave us a tour through the main street
12:20This is a tailor shop
12:23We have a cosmetic shop
12:27Maya, a sex worker and long time resident
12:29We sell all kinds of leafy vegetables
12:33It's a family business
12:36When did you come here?
12:38I came here when I was a kid
12:39How old were you?
12:40I was very young
12:41Eight?
12:42I came here when I was eight
12:48This is a fun shop
12:49People come here to dance
12:52Do you dance?
12:54Yes
12:55She's one of the dancers
12:56Do you dance here?
12:58We have a lot of shops around here
13:01Do you dance?
13:02Yes
13:03You mean you sing?
13:04Yes
13:06Bangladesh is culturally conservative
13:08Sex before marriage is taboo
13:10and drugs, alcohol and gambling are strictly illegal
13:14But for the vast majority of young Bangladeshi men
13:17the brothel is one of the few places
13:19where they can party
13:21In Dolatia, everything is on offer
13:25We are going to Maya's room
13:27to meet with a client named Kareem
13:30who comes here frequently to sleep with women
13:33and he's going to tell us a little bit more
13:35about why he comes here
13:37Kareem, how long have you been living here?
13:41I've been living here since I was a kid
13:44Did you start with your wife?
13:46Yes
13:47Did you start with your wife?
13:48Yes
13:49Since then?
13:50Yes
13:51I've been doing this since I was a kid
13:53Why?
13:54Do you work here?
13:55No, I'm a businessman
13:57You're a businessman?
13:58Yes
13:59What do you do?
14:00I'm a gardener, I export potatoes
14:03What do you do here?
14:05I come here to eat
14:07and then I sleep with my wife
14:09I really like it
14:11What are you making now?
14:13I'm eating yaba
14:16What is yaba?
14:17It's a drug
14:19It's a drug
14:23Yaba, a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine
14:26is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant
14:29Popular in Bangladesh
14:31it is one of the many drugs that are cheap
14:33and easy to get in the brothel
14:35Prolonged use can have severe side effects
14:38including damage to the respiratory tract
14:41brain and heart
14:42which is just another occupational hazard
14:45for the girls of Dolatia
14:47How is it?
14:49How does it taste?
14:50It's good
14:51What do you like?
14:52It's good
14:53It gives me a lot of energy
14:55What kind of energy?
14:57It helps me to do what I want to do
15:02If people think that I can stay here for 5 minutes
15:05then I can stay here for 10 minutes
15:08Do you eat before the customers come?
15:10No
15:11I don't eat before the customers come
15:13It's bad for me
15:14I don't eat before the customers come
15:16Do you want to eat?
15:17No, no, I'm okay
15:19Is it good?
15:20Yes
15:38Kitty parties are common in the brothel
15:40and Kareem agreed to take us on a typical night out
15:43for him and his friends
15:45These parties are held in specially rented out rooms
15:48where men pay for drink, drugs, dancing and sex
16:41Kareem!
17:05Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries on earth
17:09with widespread poverty and inequality
17:12perfect conditions for girls to be trafficked into sex work
17:15Most of the women and girls who live in Dolatia
17:18are illiterate and have little education
17:21They are lured into the brothel by the promise of work
17:24sold by a family member
17:26or kidnapped by a trafficker
17:29Unprotected and unmonitored
17:31the women in Dolatia
17:33are part of a nationwide industry of exploitation
17:37I went to meet Kareem
17:39the day after his kitty party
17:41to see if he feels in any way responsible
17:43for the fate of the women he pays to have sex with
18:07How do you feel?
18:09I feel good
18:11Why do you feel good?
18:13I feel good when I have sex with a girl
18:20What do you feel good about having sex with a girl?
18:22What pleasure do you get from having sex with a girl?
18:24That you don't get from having sex with an older woman?
18:27I don't know how to explain the feeling of having sex with a child
18:36Do the girls in Dolatia use drugs?
18:39Yes, they do
18:43Don't you feel bad having sex with a girl?
18:47No, I don't feel bad
18:49Don't you feel bad having sex with a girl?
18:52Don't you feel bad that you don't have a younger sister?
18:54No, I don't feel bad
18:56Don't you feel bad when you have sex with a girl?
19:01No, I don't feel bad
19:05I feel good when I have sex with a girl
19:09I feel good when I have sex with a girl
19:17I feel good when I have sex with a girl
19:22Don't you feel bad having sex with a girl?
19:25No, I don't feel bad
19:27I feel good
19:30In places like this, there are girls as young as 10 years old
19:34And Karim just likes to sleep with them
19:37And he says the younger they are, the more desire they have
19:41And a lot of them are taking drugs
19:43They're taking the steroid
19:45It's just a really unhealthy, unhygienic place
19:48And to see these women and young girls that are like prisoners
19:53Struggling with all kinds of abuse
19:56And dealing with men like him
20:04Stigmatized by this way of life
20:06The estimated 100,000 sex workers in Bangladesh
20:10Find it almost impossible to leave and change professions
20:13Or get married
20:15They become outcasts
20:17Rejected by their family and community
20:19But the sex industry is highly profitable for some
20:23Especially the brokers
20:25The men that traffic the girls into the brothel
20:27I'm about to meet with a dalal
20:29Also known as a broker in this brothel
20:31He's one of the people that brings in girls
20:33For a certain amount of money
20:35Now once he brings the girls in, he sells them
20:37And the one we're about to meet
20:39Has been bringing girls in for 20 plus years
20:42Hello
21:01How much do you pay for the girls?
21:12Do you have to pay the girls back?
21:22The entire amount?
21:24Yes, the entire amount
21:26How do you find the girls to work?
21:31They come to the brothel
21:33When the garments are sold
21:35They go to the brothel
21:37Work there
21:39We give them a better place
21:41Some girls come to the brothel
21:43Work with them
21:45They work there for a certain amount of time
21:47We give them the money
21:49But when they come to the brothel
21:51They come to the brothel
21:53And they come to the brothel
21:55Don't you feel bad that you brought the girls here?
21:58I don't feel bad
22:00I got the money, so I came here
22:02How old are you?
22:0415, 16 years old
22:06It's not fair
22:11Under current legislation in Bangladesh
22:13Anyone caught trafficking a female minor into prostitution
22:17Can face 10 years in jail
22:19It is also illegal for clients to have sex with underage prostitutes
22:24But in Dolatia, there is little enforcement
22:27And convictions are rare
22:29I just met with Shuma
22:31She has agreed to take me to her house
22:34So we can interview her
22:36And she's only 16 years old
22:40At the age of 16
22:42Shuma is technically a minor under Bangladeshi law
22:45But she's working as a prostitute
22:48The power has gone out, so we've got to light some candles
22:51So I can actually see her
22:53While I talk to her
22:56This is a world
22:58I used to stay at home
23:00My parents didn't allow me to get married
23:02I had a husband
23:04I didn't have a child
23:06I was alone
23:08No one in this world would give me money
23:10It's a world like that
23:12Was this your first time doing this?
23:15No, it wasn't
23:17I've never done anything like this
23:19How did you feel when you did it for the first time?
23:22At first, I was scared
23:24I was worried
23:26How many women would be humiliated?
23:29So many people come to us
23:31It's not a sin
23:33So many people come to us
23:35It's not a sin
23:37It's a part of life
23:39It's good to have a place to live
23:44I don't have anything in my life
23:46I have a future
23:50I don't want bad money
23:52I want to live my own life
23:54I don't want to be poor
23:56I want to have a lot of children
23:58I don't want to get married
24:00I don't want to have a lot of money
24:02I don't want to get married
24:04I don't want to get married
24:06I don't want to get married
24:13With only a few months spent in the brothel
24:15It seemed as if Shuma was determined
24:17She could earn her way out
24:19But for many women here
24:21Any hope of leaving has disappeared
24:25In Bangladesh, sex workers have no official rights
24:29Or protection under the law
24:31This combined with the stigmatization of their profession
24:34Leaves the women socially ostracized and vulnerable
24:37Employment opportunities for uneducated women are scarce
24:41And sex work is one of the only options left to earn money
24:46Dolatia is now the only home these women will ever know
24:51I don't want to be a prostitute
24:53I don't want to be a prostitute
25:00People are pissed we're filming here
25:02They're yelling and they're upset
25:04They don't want us here at all
25:07For the thousands of women in Dolatia
25:09Harassment and abuse are part of daily life
25:13Whether trafficked, tricked, or sold into prostitution
25:17They become trapped in Bangladesh's largest brothel
25:20Locked into a cycle of sex slavery
25:50For more UN videos visit www.un.org