Govt proposes Tk4.41cr project to integrate children from Daulatdia brothel into mainstream society

The government has proposed a Tk4.41 crore project to bring 450 at-risk children from the Daulatdia brothel area in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari into mainstream society.

The proposal also includes measures to improve the living standards of more than 1,500 sex workers in the area.

Under the initiative titled "Social Integration of Disadvantaged Children of Daulatdia Brothel", the project proposal has been sent to the Planning Commission.

The project plans to provide safe home accommodation, food, clothing, healthcare, vaccination, psychological support, inclusion in formal education, cultural activities and socialisation for children. It also includes skills development and health awareness training for sex workers to create alternative employment opportunities.

The project will be implemented from January 2026 to December 2028 by the Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare, in partnership with the non-governmental organisation PIACT Bangladesh.

According to the proposal, children in the Daulatdia brothel grow up in unsafe housing, unhealthy surroundings, exposure to violence, malnutrition and educational deprivation. Many who enrol in school dropout due to discrimination linked to their mothers' profession. Boys face the risk of being drawn into criminal networks and drug trade, while girls face the risk of entering the same profession.

The proposal also highlights the challenges faced by sex workers, including income deprivation, extortion by brokers and criminal groups, lack of access to healthcare, limited awareness of human rights and absence of skills for alternative livelihoods.

To address these challenges, proposed activities for sex workers include life-skills and awareness training, linkages to health and reproductive health services, financial management and savings orientation, and development of alternative income-generating skills.

The project document states that the initiative is aligned with the National Social Security Strategy (2015). Referring to Article 15(d) of the Constitution, it says the project is part of the state's commitment to bring marginalised and vulnerable populations under social protection.

The Department of Social Services under the Ministry of Social Welfare is directly involved in implementing more than 50 programmes under this strategy. As part of these efforts, a project was implemented in the Daulatdia brothel area from 2000 to 2007 with support from UNDP through PIACT Bangladesh.

During that period, 145 children were raised and educated in safe homes. After the project ended, most children were returned to their families, while 21 children continued to receive support from PIACT Bangladesh due to the absence of guardians.

Daulatdia, located on about 30 acres of land along the Padma River beside the Paturia-Daulatdia river route, is situated in Daulatdia union of Goalanda upazila in Rajbari district. Known as the country's largest and Asia's second-largest brothel, the area sees a large daily influx of people due to the presence of a railway station, launch terminal, bus stand, truck terminal and ferry ghat.

The locality has long been considered vulnerable due to allegations of criminal activities, drug trade, human trafficking, extortion and violence. In this environment, sex workers regularly face risks of abuse and violence, while their children grow up amid deep uncertainty.