A Life in chains

At the end of August 2011, I traveled to the small town of Tangail to reach the Kandapara Brothel village, one of the 13 red-light districts in Bangladesh at that time, to collect testimonies from women and girls working there. Many of these brothels have existed for decades, with some tracing their origins back over a century. They often house women who have been trafficked, abandoned, or forced into the trade due to poverty. Many women, especially young girls, are brought into these districts through coercion or trafficking.

Bangladesh, being a predominantly Muslim country, has strong religious and social opposition to prostitution. Women in the trade face deep societal stigma, making it difficult for them to leave and reintegrate into mainstream society. From the testimonies I gathered, A Life in Chains, a documentary film, was created to shed light on the reality of prostitution in the country.

A Life in Chains is a video documentary about prostitution in Bangladesh. The documentary presents a vast collection of distressing testimonies—stories of violence, juvenile prostitution, and the relentless social stigma these women endure. Girls born in the brothel are destined to become sex workers, while boys often grow up to be pimps or drug dealers. Those who manage to escape face rejection from society, leaving them with no choice but to return to prostitution.

Based on my investigative research, A Life in Chains delves into the lives of these victims, their struggle for survival, and their fraught relationship with Bangladeshi society. It exposes the relentless cycle of violence and exploitation that entraps them, bringing attention to the harsh realities they face every day.