Female sex workers welcoming Dr. Asa Torkelsson and others with flowers According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2015-2016[1], an estimated 102,260 female sex workers (FSWs) exist in the sex industry. Approximately, around 5000 female sex workers are living in 11 existing brothels in the country. In the year 2000, The Bangladesh High Court ruled that ‘prostitution’ as a livelihood is not illegal, implying that the ‘prostitutes’ in Bangladesh now have the legal right to practice their trade, and evicting someone from one's workplace is illegal[2]. However, sex workers are subjected to harassment, violence, victimization and criminalisation in personal and public spaces. This leads to a systemic violation of rights such as the right to life, dignity, equality, and equal protection.
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