The acceptance of sex workers’ groups in national networks of women’s organisations is a milestone in the history of the women’s movement in Bangladesh. This article explores the lessons learnt by Bangladeshi women’s organisations through their involvement in a campaign to support the rights of sex workers, and their struggles to defend themselves against illegal eviction threats from brothels.
It suggests that these struggles gave a new – and more public – meaning to discussions on sexuality and sexual rights that had been taking place within the women’s movement. The article focuses on the experiences of Naripokkho, a country-wide women’s organisation, and the lessons that this organisation learnt through engagement in the struggle for sex workers’ rights in Bangladesh.
