Put on the red light

In late July, there was a procession in front of the city’s Press Club, protesting the eviction of sex workers from a brothel in Tangail. Lines of women, possibly ousted sex workers, stood with placards demanding to be rehabilitated first before being made victims of sudden surges of morality within specific sections of society.

This is not the first time so-called puritanical guardians of the community have stormed into brothels, using the moral rhetoric to dismantle centuries-old institutions, and drive out sex workers onto the streets. A few years ago, a similar incident happened where women working in such an establishment had to flee, leaving their possessions behind.

The drive, ostensibly motivated by the desire to uphold values of society, had an ulterior motive – occupying the land on which the brothel was established. The whole move was carefully crafted, never letting go of the “noble” objective of making social life better by getting rid of “evil influence.”

In the Tangail incident recently, the same rationale of making the community safer by getting rid of red light areas was used. One gets a bit perplexed. Will breaking down brothels, forcing out sex workers, and delivering emotionally-charged declarations to restrain physical instincts give us the “chaste” label?

The issue of the brothel and the moral debates surrounding it are as old as civilisation itself. From a very rigid standpoint, they cannot be condoned. However, evolution of the human race has shown us numerous times that human history is hardly about defending what is right all the time; in many cases, it’s about making subtle amalgamations between two opposing entities. Red light areas are an integral part of the city structure. Ok, agreed that some fully conservative countries do not permit commercial sex, but it’s also true that in these religiously rigid states, women working as household help often become victims of relentless sexual torture.

In fact, many Bangladeshi women working in Gulf countries have come back with harrowing tales of physical abuse within their workplace. I would say putting up a flimsy façade of moral cleanliness while perpetrating inhuman sexual practices within closed doors is more harmful since in these settings, the woman in question cannot speak up for her rights and nor can she protest deviant physical demands.

Coming back to Bangladesh, brothels are not new additions to our social structure, and neither have they been forced on us as part of some devious imperialistic/colonial plan. They emerged to fulfill the need of a society, and more crucially, to curb crimes like rape and sexual assault.

The role of the red light area is simple – provide the chance for men to relieve themselves of sexual tension and thus contain sex-related crimes. Now, it’s definitely unfortunate that many women become sex workers, but human society was never totally ideal and never can it be perfect.

It’s a bit like trying to end warfare. We can limit conflicts but can never end them for good. Wars take lives, but at the same time, they result in the end of one great civilisation to trigger the rise of another while giving us an array of new innovations.

As conscious people, one can never want someone to earn a living by selling her body, though it’s always better to adopt a practical outlook rather than a utopian one. Once brothels feature counselling on health, medication, education, and other relevant issues, a sex worker can have an improved life. Surely much better than being enslaved in homes in a foreign land?

Forcing out sex workers is never the solution. On the contrary, it adds to the problem because floating sex workers are vulnerable to diseases, extortion, and crime. It’s outrageous that when women in brothels are evicted, they are not given an alternative mode of earning.

Several years ago, Taanbazar in Narayanganj and English Road in Dhaka were dismantled, allowing the sex workers to spread out across the country. As far as statistics are concerned, two closed brothels can earn some moral points for those who proudly declare themselves stern advocates of righteousness, though the reckless spread of sex workers without any institution to look after their welfare is hardly a matter of concern.

The erosion of values is emphatically underlined when such establishments are shut down. Well, if that’s the case, then are we to believe that rampant corruption, the rise of crime with collusion from law enforcers, widespread cronyism, and nepotism plaguing our system solidify values?

What most hesitate to acknowledge is that we live within a credo that reeks of hypocrisy. Here, any man who visits a red light area is forcefully denounced as being depraved, the sex worker is termed kharap meye (tainted woman), and the brothel deemed the den of the Devil.

Well, definitions change with the social settings of course. The common man’s brothel is all vice and needs to be torn apart, meanwhile sex wrapped in appetising opulence in the five star hotels is something to marvel and secretly desire. Oh, don’t be fooled – at the up-market establishments in Dhaka, everything is allowed. This time the law is outside, assiduously guarding the games within.

In one of these places, where thousands, often lakhs, are spent after realising a few hours of unrestrained, hedonistic dreams, moral guardians do not dare enter. After all, powerful, rich people have the right to some “enjoyment.”

The ordinary person and his short-term companion, whose next meal depends on a client, are the scum of society – they are ugly, smelly, their trysts happen in dimly-lit, small rooms. Why bother improving these establishments with healthcare and other facilities?

Oscar Wilde war right – beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich.