Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology, 2023.

Chi tiết về thư mục
Tác giả chính: Sarbomangala, Kongka
Tác giả khác: Rahman, Shahidur
Định dạng: Luận văn
Ngôn ngữ:English
Được phát hành: Brac University 2024
Những chủ đề:
Truy cập trực tuyến:http://hdl.handle.net/10361/23642
id 10361-23642
record_format dspace
institution Brac University
collection Institutional Repository
language English
topic Labor rights
Prostitution
Legal protections
Sex workers
Prostitution--Bangladesh
Prostitutes--Legal status, laws, etc.--Bangladesh
Human rights-Bangladesh
spellingShingle Labor rights
Prostitution
Legal protections
Sex workers
Prostitution--Bangladesh
Prostitutes--Legal status, laws, etc.--Bangladesh
Human rights-Bangladesh
Sarbomangala, Kongka
Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
description This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology, 2023.
author2 Rahman, Shahidur
author_facet Rahman, Shahidur
Sarbomangala, Kongka
format Thesis
author Sarbomangala, Kongka
author_sort Sarbomangala, Kongka
title Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
title_short Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
title_full Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
title_fullStr Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers
title_sort unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on banishanta’s sex workers
publisher Brac University
publishDate 2024
url http://hdl.handle.net/10361/23642
work_keys_str_mv AT sarbomangalakongka unveilingtherealitythetolloflaborrightsexclusiononbanishantassexworkers
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spelling 10361-236422024-07-02T21:05:04Z Unveiling the reality: the toll of labor rights exclusion on Banishanta’s sex workers Sarbomangala, Kongka Rahman, Shahidur Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Brac University Labor rights Prostitution Legal protections Sex workers Prostitution--Bangladesh Prostitutes--Legal status, laws, etc.--Bangladesh Human rights-Bangladesh This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology, 2023. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-88). Bangladesh has a long history of prostitution. While religion forbids prostitution, its laws do not prevent a woman from becoming a prostitute if she so chooses. This oldest institution cannot be eliminated immediately since it is deeply ingrained in society. In addition to the issue of eradicating prostitution and dragging the workers out of the occupation, there is another pressing issue surrounding the "Labor rights" of these workers. In this context, this dissertation seeks to investigate the labor rights situation of sex workers in Banishanta village, Mongla, and gain insights into the daily challenges they face. Since "prostitution" is considered an informal occupation lacking legal protections and specific labor rights, this study also aims to assess how the absence of such rights affects the lives of sex workers. This dissertation also concentrates on identifying the factors that contribute to improving the well-being of sex workers. Simultaneously, it will analyze the factors that hinder the progress and development of these workers. This research centers on the marginalized sex workers of Banishanta, who not only face socio-economic challenges but are also grappling with the consequences of climate change. The rising water levels in the vicinity of Banishanta's brothels exacerbate their already difficult living and working conditions. There is a huge lack of data regarding the rights of sex workers in Banishanta. Existing data primarily emphasize climate change impacts and the hardships faced by the local population. This dissertation employs a qualitative research approach, involving the collection of primary data through interviews with sex workers who experience daily challenges stemming from both climate change effects and the absence of labor rights which lead them to disempowerment. The findings of the research reveal that the sex workers face challenges like, 10 impoverished living and working condition lead to poor hygiene access, inadequate health and medical facilities, improper education system for the worker’s children, disorganized wage system, lack of security and one of the major challenge is facing the ‘social stigmatization’. The concept of work hours, sick leave and holidays are completely new to some new workers and are myth to some of the older workers. Furthermore, significant factors such as social stigmatization hinder the progress of these workers. Nevertheless, a few actors, NGO and certain government organization are making efforts to offer assistance to help improve their lives. Another intriguing fact came out in my research that the primary emphasis of the stakeholders tend to be on providing aid rather than ensuring the protection of their labor rights and ensuring their overall well-being in long-term. The findings mentioned have been examined through the framework of 'Intersectionality' by Kimberle Crenshaw and 'Empowerment' by Naila Kabeer. This analysis has helped to comprehend how the lack of labor rights contributes to distinct experiences in the lives of sex workers considering their age, background, race/ beauty standard and status in the brothel and further explores their encounters with disempowerment and empowerment. This dissertation makes a contribution to the current body of research by placing a central focus on labor rights. It comprehensively considers multiple facets, including the legal and societal consequences, as well as the pervasive issue of social stigma. Furthermore, this research illuminates the challenges experienced by sex workers in the midst of and following the COVID-19 pandemic, offering valuable insights into the pandemic's far-reaching effects on their means of earning a livelihood. Kongka Sarbomangala B.Anthropology 2024-07-02T11:16:26Z 2024-07-02T11:16:26Z © 2023 2023-01 Thesis ID 19317001 http://hdl.handle.net/10361/23642 en Brac University theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. 95 pages application/pdf Brac University