Photo: AFP

By Nilima Jahan
Jun 22 2020 (IPS-Partners)

The life of sex workers on the streets, hard as it is during normal times, has taken a worse turn after the coronavirus pandemic hit the country.

Many floating sex workers have been pushed into begging, as their regular means of income has almost disappeared.

They are also facing assault and harassment at the hands of local goons, law enforcers and other people, living on the streets.

Mukta, 40, a floating sex worker, shared how she was attacked and wounded while looking for clients near Golap Shah Mazar at Gulistan in the first week of April.

She said three young men availed her service and were about to leave without payment. When she asked for money, they berated her for sex work amidst the shutdown and then beat her mercilessly. One of them hit Mukta on her nose with a shard of blade.

“The wound required six stitches and I think the scar will never heal,” said Mukta, who now begs on the streets.

At least five other sex workers shared similar experiences with this correspondent.

They said they are compelled to come out on the street risking coronavirus infection as many of them have children to feed and families to support.

Mukta said for the last three months she could not pay the monthly fee of Tk 2,000 for her two kids, who live at a private shelter for sex worker’s children.

“The shelter in-charge has been calling and yelling at me for the money. How can I make her understand that I’m in such a condition that I am having to skip most of my meals?”

Aleya Begum Lily, general secretary of Sex Workers’ Network (SWN), a platform for 29 sex workers’ organisations, said, most of the around 1,02,000 sex workers including the 5,000 registered in the 10 brothels of the country are jobless now.

In the capital, there are almost 20,000 sex workers, of whom 8,000 sell sex on the streets, hotels and rented apartments, she added.

Those who lived in hotels or failed to pay house rent are now living on the streets, in the parks, mausoleums, railway stations or under the bridges, Aleya said.

A large number of sex workers, who work under brokers, have also been suffering due to a sharp decline in their clientele.

Nazma, who lived and worked along with five other girls at the capital’s Rayer Bazar area, was facing routine abuse at the hands of their drug addict broker.

“It was his responsibility to manage clients for us. Yet, he would hit me on my head as I couldn’t give him money [due to decline in business],” said Nazma.

“I escaped in April after a physical assault. Currently, I am begging and sleeping at the Gulistan Golap Shah Mazar,” she mentioned.

Drop-in-centres (DICs) for sex workers are also becoming difficult to run because of the pandemic, informed officials of Light House, an NGO funded by the international development agency Save the Children.

Across the country, Light House has 27 DICs, where sex workers usually stay from 9am to 5pm.

Md Zalkad Ali, coordinator of the NGO’s Chankharpul DIC, said, “It has been difficult to continue our work because of constant pressure to shift the office. Many [landlords and neighbourhood people] treat them [sex workers] as suspected Covid-19 positive cases since they have roam the streets and mingle with unknown men.”

“My landlord sent us a notice to vacate the flat immediately, and restricted the access of the sex workers. We disinfect the stairs, maintain social distance and hygiene, yet they have been harassing us in different ways,” he added.

Another DIC coordinator Rina in Gopibagh also mentioned getting an eviction notice during the shutdown.

They, however, managed the landlord by limiting the number of sex workers who can enter and use the facility at a time, she said.

Beforehand, 15-20 sex workers used the DIC per day, but now a maximum of ten people are allowed, she added.

Nazma said she and others like her now use the DICs only to take showers.

Though the registered sex workers living in the brothels received some aid from the government, the floating ones didn’t receive any, said Aleya Begum.

Of the 29 organisations under the Sex Workers’ Network, 19 were provided Tk 3,50,000 during April-May for distribution of food and other essentials among their members, Aleya informed.

“Few may have received some relief as a distressed woman but not as a sex worker,” she added.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Photo: Prabir Das

By Nilima Jahan
Jan 20 2017 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

When the Rocket Steamers service was introduced almost a century ago, it was used mostly by the elite classes and considered the fastest mode of water transport; thus, many believe that it is the reason behind the name.

They were basically ships, motorised by steam engines that drive paddle wheels to help the ships run through the water. Rocket steamers are designed in a way that there are very rare chances of sinking. However, in the mid nineties, the steam engines were converted into diesel-run engines; and afterwards, were replaced by electro-hydraulic engines. The roofs have also been replaced with tin sheets that have now rusted and retain an archaic look.

Currently, after so many ups and downs, rocket steamers—namely PS Ostrich, PS Lepcha, PS Tern, MV Madhumati and MV Bangali are being operated once a day (starts at 4 pm), from Badamtali Ghat, Sadarghat to Morelganj. Apart from these, another significant steamer, PS Mashud has been kept in the dockyard, as it is undergoing repair. Each steamer has an arrangement to accommodate around 700-800 passengers at a time.

At first sight, the dilapidated torpedo-shaped two storey vessels may generate a simple question in your mind –how can this be a sign of aristocracy? The wide-loaded junks, damp decks, the bad odour from the contaminated waters may seem to be just the opposite.

However, a closer look at the ramshackle ships will give you a splendid idea of their unique designs. Most of them were made in the Garden Rich Workshop of Calcutta, nearly a hundred year ago, while the PS Ostrich was made in the dockyards of Clydebank, Scotland.

“If we want to give them a very glamorous look, we will lose the heritage value”, says Nazrul Islam Misha, Public Relation Officer, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). “As they are being operated since nearly a hundred years ago, the outlook has lost it’s prior glint, but we have already introduced ships–MV Bangali and MV Madhumati, which were made according to the paddle steamer patterns”, he adds. “We try our best to maintain maximum cleanliness, which is very difficult.”

These steamers have a distinct style of operation. While leaving the ghaat, they play a majestic whistle known as the ‘Bhepu’, and move forward plying the water. There was a time when many butlers wearing special attires, would wait in front of the 1st class cabins to take orders from passengers. In addition, there used to be special arrangement of mouth-watering dishes at a very reasonable price. But, over the years, the scenario has changed immensely. Now, along with the decks, the steamers offer AC and Non AC cabins, and little snack-shops and eateries have been placed.

In most of the steamers, one might find the small-cabins open off to either side, having two narrow beds and a television. Also, the toilets are maintained by a man with a key and one needs to find him in order to use them. On the contrary, the decks are still populated by those who cannot afford the cabins. The sunset accompanying the departure helps create beautiful landscapes for the travellers.

As these steamers were very hyped about earlier, many renowned personalities, for instances – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, Hason Raja, popular Bengali poet and songwriter, Kazi Nazrul Islam, our national poet, and many others have travelled on them. (Source: BIWTC)

“Today we can see thousands of speedy modern water transports, but rocket steamers are always different”, believes 65-year-old Khizir Hayat Khan, a retired government employee who was travelling to Hularhat, Pirojpur. “It’s like an ancient relic in a modern world– full of memories for people of all ages”, he adds.

“In 1972, after we got married, we always preferred coming to Dhaka by rocket steamers. Coming out of the 1st class cabin that we would always hire, we used to spend the whole night without a wink of sleep, enjoying the calmness of the rivers Kirtanakhola, Arial khan, Padma, Meghna, Shitalakshya and Buriganga”, reminisces 57-year-old Ismat Ara, wife of Khizir Hayat.

Like Khizir Hayat Khan and Ismat Ara, there are so many people around the country who have nostalgia associated with this steamer service. Even today many foreigners who come to Bangladesh find this journey quite appealing, so they make sure to have it in their itinerary.

“It happens many a time that people from abroad come to visit Bangladesh only for a rocket steamer trip”, says 30-year-old Ariful Islam Arif, a ticket seller of the rocket steamer service.

Upon entering the small control room on the roof, you will find that the entire system is mainly operated by three people—the master, the sukani (the man who turns the steering wheel from the center) and the pilot.

“Many love this service for the unquestionable safety assurance, as we operate very cautiously”, says 50-year-old Nurul Islam, a sukani, who has been working for the rockets for past eight years. “Besides, we ensure maximum safety measures and equipment.”

Nonetheless, compared to the faster modern modes of water transports, the rocket steamers may take 20 hours to reach Morelganj from Dhaka. Nevertheless, a trip in a rocket steamer will give you an unforgettable experience—the river banks, lush greeneries adjacent to the rivers, under-siege paddy fields and much more. You can even get a chance to visit the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. As a matter of fact, every year, BIWTC, the authority responsible for maintaining the service, offers a free of cost rocket ride for freedom fighters and their family members to enjoy the serenity of the beautiful Sundarbans.

Unfortunately, as the number of the passengers is decreasing because of the growing competition and high maintenance cost; the service is running on the Government’s subsidy. Nonetheless, if we all come forward and travel through the rocket steamers frequently, the service will get the prior lively ambience. It is our duty to preserve these historic rocket steamers that can be a gift of antiquity for our future generations.

According to historians, the paddle steamer service was introduced in the late 18th century by the British India General Navigation Railway Company (IGNRC).
After the partition of Bengal, Pakistan River Steamers Company introduced this rocket steamer service in 1952, which familiarised as a symbol of speed, safety and nobility. At that time, six rockets were operated twice a week, from Narayanganj to Khulna, via Chandpur, Barisal and Jhalakathi. Later, in 1972, BITWC was formed and it took all the responsibilities of this service.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Photos: Courtesy

By Nilima Jahan
Apr 12 2016 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

To encourage more young women into community media and journalism, and to work for the development of rural communities, in 2013, Bangladesh NGO’s Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), in partnership with Free Press Unlimited (FPU), launched a three month fellowship programme entitled “Youth women in Media and Journalism”. In the programme, an experienced mentor trains the attendees how to produce news, reports, features, case study and human profiles.

“We believe that the story of rural underprivileged women can be best depicted by these journalists, as they can bring out their prospects and problems”, says AHM Bazlur Rahman, CEO of BNNRC. BNNRC has a special focus on ‘Dalit’ young women too.

According to a statistics of BNNRC, at present, more than 350 female journalists and volunteers are working in 16 community radios in Bangladesh and they are bringing tremendous success in their own fields. They are mainly covering issues related to women and children- importance of family planning, pre-primary education system, awareness against child marriage, employment of indigenous women in the forest department, violence against women, suicidal tendencies among women, children being victims of pornography, healthcare facilities in local maternity hospitals and many more.

The journey of these promising young women is not smooth at all. Many of them are from very conservative families that don’t accept their daughters’ participation in media. “I was born and brought up in a family plagued with religious bigotry and superstitions. No woman before me here had stepped out of the house, let alone have a job”, says 23 years old Shahrina Sultana Jui, Head of News at Borendra Radio, Naogaon, the one and only female journalist of Naogaon and a fellow of BNNRC’s fellowship programme.

Photos: Courtesy

Like Shahrina, many female journalists in different community media are struggling to make a change in the male-dominated rural areas. But very often, they are interrupted by the encirclements. “Some girls joined our radio without informing their parents. But when their parents come to know about it, they take them back”, says Parvin Nahar, station manager of Radio Jhenuk, Jhenaidah.

Apart from these, there are bigger problems in the working areas. Sometimes they need to go a long way on foot for collecting information, sometimes people don’t want to talk to them about sensitive issues, and give wrong information, as they are not aware of their rights. The local administration makes them wait for days for data collection, many a times they don’t provide the data at all.

“When I went to cover a report on family planning issues, people of my community didn’t even want to talk to me. For them, it’s a very private issue to talk about”, says Baishakhy Khatun, presently working as a programme host at Bangladesh Betar (started her career at Radio Jhenuk, under the fellowship of BNNRC). “But later on, that programme got the family planning media award from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare”. Apart from these, Baishakhy received a number of national and international awards for her outstanding achievements for Radio Jhenuk.

Conquering all obstacles, rural women journalists are now creating a platform for people of different communities, by picking up the stories of success and sorrow. They demand an indiscriminate environment for performing their duties properly and yearn to move a long way in future with the help of the initiators.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh