Daulatdia
দৌলতদিয়া | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 23°39′N 88°51′E / 23.650°N 88.850°E | |
Country | Bangladesh |
District | Rajbari |
Daulatdia ( Bengali: দৌলতদিয়া) is the name of a village in Rajbari District, Bangladesh which is the largest brothel in Bangladesh, [1] and has been called one of the largest brothels in the world. [2] [3] It is one of 20 officially sanctioned brothels in the country opening around 1988, although it was unofficially in existence for decades prior. [2] Estimates of the number of sex workers in the village range from 1,300 to 2,000. [1] [3] Daulatdia services more than 3,000 men daily; [3] these men can pay for sex, take drugs and gamble. [1] It is located less than 40 km from two official Indian border crossings at Darshana/ Gede (south) as well as Kutubpur/Teinpur (north).
Though prostitution is only legal in Bangladesh for women aged 18 or older, the average age of newly arriving sex workers is 14, [2] and some sex workers in Daulatdia are as young as 10. [1] Many of them are sold into sex work for the equivalent of about $250 (in 2014), which they are then obligated to pay to pimps who are mostly older women, known as "madams". [1] The sex workers are often tricked by their madams into taking drugs such as Ventolin or Oradexon, which are designed to fatten cattle. [1] [3]
On March 20, 2020, it was ordered closed down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. On March 23, 2020, sex workers from Daulatdia appealed to the Bangladesh government for emergency funding. [4] This ultimately led to the brothels being reopened soon after.
Daulatdia
দৌলতদিয়া | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 23°39′N 88°51′E / 23.650°N 88.850°E | |
Country | Bangladesh |
District | Rajbari |
Daulatdia ( Bengali: দৌলতদিয়া) is the name of a village in Rajbari District, Bangladesh which is the largest brothel in Bangladesh, [1] and has been called one of the largest brothels in the world. [2] [3] It is one of 20 officially sanctioned brothels in the country opening around 1988, although it was unofficially in existence for decades prior. [2] Estimates of the number of sex workers in the village range from 1,300 to 2,000. [1] [3] Daulatdia services more than 3,000 men daily; [3] these men can pay for sex, take drugs and gamble. [1] It is located less than 40 km from two official Indian border crossings at Darshana/ Gede (south) as well as Kutubpur/Teinpur (north).
Though prostitution is only legal in Bangladesh for women aged 18 or older, the average age of newly arriving sex workers is 14, [2] and some sex workers in Daulatdia are as young as 10. [1] Many of them are sold into sex work for the equivalent of about $250 (in 2014), which they are then obligated to pay to pimps who are mostly older women, known as "madams". [1] The sex workers are often tricked by their madams into taking drugs such as Ventolin or Oradexon, which are designed to fatten cattle. [1] [3]
On March 20, 2020, it was ordered closed down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. On March 23, 2020, sex workers from Daulatdia appealed to the Bangladesh government for emergency funding. [4] This ultimately led to the brothels being reopened soon after.