Towards a Southern Approach to Sex Work

This book explores sex work in Asia, documenting the lived experiences of sex workers in Bangladesh, considering the complex realities of their day-to-day lives and the ways they negotiate their working conditions and relationships. It contributes to feminist scholarship on sex work, by offering a much needed southern perspective.

Habiba Sultana is Associate Professor at Jagannath University, Bangladesh, where she has been teaching since 2009. Her research focuses on sex work, HIV, AIDS, Sustainable Development, Injecting Drug Use, Caste, Social Stratification and Globalization. Sultana holds a PhD from the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia and a Master in Public Policy degree from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She has published articles on the subject of sex work, HIV and caste system in Bangladesh.

1 Introduction 1 2 Status of women and sex workers in Bangladesh 18 3 Feminism and sex work 30 4 Global sex work: The North and the South 53 5 Entry and modes of sex work 72 6 Work and pleasure 94 7 Mothers and daughters 113 8 Risk and violence 127 9 Conclusion 142