Bangladesh is a Muslim dominated country in south Asia where sex trade is mainly illegal but open secret. Only few workers have license and provide service in registered brothels. Banisanta brothel is one of the registered bawdyhouses in Khulna where sex-workers were living in They entered into the profession because of a variety of socio-economic reasons.
The factors of entering women into sex work in Banisanta brothel were observed by cross sectional study in July The sex-workers were mainly illiterate, aged range between years, from rural areas, as well as landless families. About half of them entered the profession willingly because of low family income.
Some other reasons identified by survey were being cheated, sold to the brothel and forced. More than half had experience with other labour market before sex work but left job because of harassment, poor income coupled with physical assault and sexual abuse, as well as poor working condition. Although drinking water was not enough and hard to collect, as well as using unhygienic latrine mainly, they were not suffering frequently from water borne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery or jaundice.
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