Responding to the call to action, the network mobilized funds to support 2100 sex workers across the country. When we learned about this issue, we reached out to many organizations and the private sector for assistance,” explained Lily.
“Sex workers’ children faced challenges during the COVID situation because their mothers couldn’t arrange to provide them with food. In March, government countrywide movement restrictions meant that sex workers could no longer have clients, leaving most of them without a source of income and unable to provide for themselves or their families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lily and the 29 community-based organizations serving sex workers in the country have struggled to respond to the increased calls for support.
“I see the sex workers as my sisters-I feel their happiness and pain and I try my best to solve any issue they face,” Lily said. Though her visits have been limited in recent months due to movement restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, Lily knows well enough that those smiles are a brave front for the troubling times that her peers have experienced. Warm smiles greet Lily as she approaches her first stop of the day-one of the 11 brothels scattered across the country that Lily, the President of the Bangladesh Sex Worker Network, visits quarterly to check in with the women and see what assistance they need.