Beyond the humdrum of a normal life, lies a darker world – the world of prostitution, in which bodies are sold every day – juvenile, old, diseased…doesn’t matter. Some girls are kidnapped or some have been sold by their own families for monetary gain, some were born into this life. The life of a brothel. For most, the memories of their previous life, of their parents, or their friends, of love – cease to exist.
Reportedly, South Asia has the biggest prostitution network. So be it Sonagachi, India or Faridpur in Bangladesh or any other country, they chronicle the same tale of bonded sex labour, child trafficking and abuse. This story of Afsana, a child sex worker in Bangladesh, will give you a glimpse of her excruciating life and will leave you with a feeling of helplessness.
Documented by famous Bangladeshi photographer GMB Akash on his Facebook page on June 18, it features Afsana’s story about her dreams of seeing a green field – of being free, so to speak. She says she feels suffocated behind the closed doors of a brothel and wants to feel the fresh air in the green field. She mentions it as ‘her disease’.
“I also cry while I laugh, I can’t control. It’s causing a lot of trouble to our mother. Our mother is our madam. I assured her I will be okay very soon, I will only laugh, will never cry. How I came to this brothel, I have no idea; I was too small to remember anything. But my only problem is, it’s very difficult to breathe here.”, she recalls.
But Afsana also remains hopeful and still dreams of finding her lost family and of never feeling alone again.
Along with her story is a mind-numbing photograph pinned by the photographer. In the picture, you can see Afsana calmly getting her makeup done as her friend strokes her hair. The post has gone viral with 6.4k reactions. It has left everyone with mixed feelings of – helplessness, anger or pain. The comments below the post say:
“May you live eternally in the green fields of Jannah, ameen. Where no sorrow will ever release your tears and no one will tell you to stop laughing.”
“The disgrace and disgust belongs to men who will pay for a woman’s/child’s body like a commodity. Prostitution will end the day men stop using women and children for their own gratification. Inshallah”
“As a society, it is our fault that innocent souls are still being tortured this way. Rather than sad, I simply feel ashamed of myself and this community. May your wish be fulfilled, dear Afsana.”
“This…. damn. Something we take for granted, a green field, is her life goal. I pray you will find one soon, and know only green fields from then on.”
Check out the post:
Read the full post here:
It’s been a long time I want to go to a very green field. I have never been in any green field. But I really want to go. I have a disease, I cannot breathe behind a closed door. I also cry while I laugh, I can’t control. It’s causing a lot of trouble to our mother. Our mother is our madam. I assured her I will be okay very soon, I will only laugh, will never cry. How I came to this brothel, I have no idea; I was too small to remember anything. But my only problem is, it’s very difficult to breathe here. Also I have no memory of any person; I do not see any face when I close my eyes, I feel all alone. Girls used to say they have no one too. But I tell myself, I must have someone, somewhere, may be a mother, a father or a lost family. I never had anyone to remember. So I try hard to remember a face, just any face, and there comes no one. My friend, Prinyanka usually wipes off my tears very quickly before I ruin my makeup. She always reminds me, makeup is costly than my tears. She told me that one day we will go to a green field, she will take me there and I will breathe as much as I can. Only I hope, on that day I will be able to see someone when I will close my eyes. At least once in my life, I want to feel that I am not alone.
– Afsana
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