Attuned to the awareness that brothel children have the right to be treated equally without discrimination, the following student project has developed a vision for a facility where children of sex workers of Doulatdia brothel will be brought up with good care and proper education in a healthy and playful environment. Hence the proposed project will create opportunities for these socially deprived children to be grown up as good citizen of the country while ensuring their basic human rights and inclusion into the mainstream society.

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In Bangladesh, normally the ‘sex trade’ is not legal except in fifteen government approved brothels across the country. Daulodia brothel is the most recent one within the country and, after the closing down of the Tanbazar brothel in 1999, it became the largest one in Bangladesh. However, the children of the brothel are excluded from mainstream society and denied even their most basic human rights such as housing, health, and education due to a number of complex factors such as their position in a ‘legal vacuum’, a lack of political commitment and most significantly the conservative society in Bangladesh. Even though every child has the right to be educated, but for brothel children, there is a very little scope of them getting access to education. Further to that, children of the sex workers in Bangladesh are not in a safe environment, and there is a lack of focus on their personal development with an increased risk of them becoming victims of the dangerous racket of the sex trade and exploitation.

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To break the vicious cycle of exploitation, the target of this project is, therefore, to design a safe home for the children of brothel along with an education facility. The proposed facility will bring the children of sex workers and the children from mainstream society under one roof. Among other facilities, vocational and technical education is also offered to enable them to earn and support their family. Hence, the center will promote well-being by teaching them about good health practices, active citizenship through developing skills for life and a sustainable future. It will provide the stepping-stone to self-development for those who are disadvantaged by creating choices, and builds self-confidence and self-reliance for individuals.

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The project site is located at Goalando Ghat, near the existing Doulatdia brothel. On a site area of 11.31 acres, the center is designed with all basic facilities including safe home for 3 to 17years old, (conditional), boys dormitory for 8 to 17years, health clinic (existing), school (class I to class VIII), Vocational education and training facility (5 trade courses), extraordinary curriculum school (for creative children), multipurpose hall (counseling, cultural program etc ), library (to served the whole community) etc. To ensure interaction with ‘Biological Mother’ and children a space called ‘Matri-chaya’ is proposed. In addition to that, the center comprises outdoor spaces of various sizes and uses to ensure the psychomotor development of these socially deprived children.

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CONTEXT Contributor: Nahian Zobaid is an Architect and Assistant Professor at Bangladesh University, Dhaka