Bangladesh is one of the few Muslim countries where prostitution is legal. The Kandapara brothel in the district of Tangail is the oldest and one of the largest in the country - it has existed for some 200 years. Here live and work more than 700 sex workers with their children and their madams. The brothel district is surrounded by a two-meter wall. In the narrow streets, there are food stalls, tea shops and street vendors. Many of the women were born in the brothel, are sold by family members or have fled their husbands and secure in this way their livelihood. Officially, they must be 18 years old, but most of them are underage. Although prostitution is legal in Bangladesh since 2000, these women are socially stigmatized outside their "homes" and thus often choose to stay and continue supporting their families with their earnings.
