Bangladesh - Child Protection

BangladeshThe Daulatdia Child Protection Program (DCPP) has been designed to address endemic issues of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence toward children in the largest residential brothel, located in Daulatdia. The brothel, which has been operating for more than 25 years, is located close to a very busy ferry port in Rajbari district in the West of Bangladesh and is the largest brothel in the country.

The brothel encourages a culture of corruption, violence, gambling, alcohol use, drug use and dealing, open screening of explicit films and sex workers seeking customers. This program aims to prevent children becoming involved in sex work in the Daulatdia brothel and to aid the development of community supported child protection systems/mechanisms within the brothel.

Did you know?
  • Approximately 3,000 people are living inside the brothel, including 1,000 children
  • 240 of these children are working as sex workers (some from the age of 8 upwards)
  • Children are regularly exposed to sexual and physical violence and are known to consume drugs and alcohol from as young as 10 years

The brothel provides financial benefits to a whole range of individuals, which means that there are many people in positions of power who have a vested interest in the brothel continuing to function in its current form, including the promotion of child prostitution. Mothers do not know how to protect their children from sexual and other abuse, exploitation and violence. Children are vulnerable to physical violence and sexual, physical and emotional abuse from a range of perpetrators including their peers and mothers' customers. Although most of the focus is on the protection of girls, boys are often victims too.

What Save the Children is doing

  • Running a primary school which currently provides education for 250 children. This school recently received the status of "Registered Government Primary School" meaning that they will receive free books for all students and funding to pay the salaries for three teachers from the Department of Education

  • Running a early childhood development centre which currently provides education for 200 children

  • Providing a safe place for girls to live away from the brothel. Since opening, over 111 girls have lived at the safe house. The house currently accommodates over 40 girls

  • Enabling an advancement in sex workers and their children's rights by providing community education, including: enabling sex workers and their children to be buried in public cemeteries and enabling sex workers and their children to wear shoes outside of the brothel, both of which were previously not possible