Dhaka: On August 29, Habiba Khatun (name changed to protect identity), a former sex worker turned NGO worker, was distributing condoms to sex workers when she became the victim of a brutal assault.
A man in a blue t-shirt attacked her with a green pipe, ignoring her desperate pleas that she was merely providing support, not soliciting. After repeatedly striking her, the man turned his attention to other sex workers nearby, assaulting them as well. “As I lay injured, he continued beating a woman until she collapsed, begging for her life,” Habiba recounted.
What made this attack even more horrific was its online amplification. The assailant filmed the assault and uploaded it to his Facebook account, where it quickly spread with fake captions claiming that Hindu women were being beaten for merely being out at night in Dhaka. Social media users from India took to platforms like X (formerly Twitter), spreading this fabricated narrative, fanning the flames of religious hatred in an already divided country.
The man in the video was soon identified as HM Rasel Sultan. His rampage didn’t stop with Habiba or the woman who begged at his feet. He assaulted more women, moving through the streets like a predator.
“I am still sick and traumatised. I can barely walk,” Habiba said, her voice heavy with pain.
“I have a daughter in university. Wherever I go, people hurl insults at me after seeing the video. I’ve become a target of shame. That video spread like wildfire and completely isolated me”, Habiba said.
The disturbing video of Habiba being attacked was shared by Indian social media users with a false claim that it showed Hindu women being assaulted for not wearing a burqa. “See how a radical Jihadi Muslim youth is beating Hindu women in the middle of the road. Why you all are silent?" was one of the false captions that was used to share the video. BOOM found that the incident did not involve any communal angle and in fact, revealed unprovoked attacks on women sex workers in Bangladesh.
Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, 2024, the streets of Bangladesh have become a nightmare for sex workers, who have become targets of violence. Meanwhile, the rise of misinformation, spread through social media platforms, has added a dangerous layer to the already perilous lives of these marginalised women.
The day after Khatun was attacked, a 40-year-old sex worker, Sumaiya Akter (name changed to protect identity) was attacked by a dozen men in the streets of Dhaka. On the night of August 30, eight months pregnant Akter headed to a small shop in Shaymoli Square, hoping to cover her rent and survive another day.
Shortly after 11:00 p.m., two young men blocked her path, yanking her from the rickshaw she had boarded. When she hesitated to comply with their orders to get into another auto-rickshaw, they struck her viciously across both cheeks. “I’m pregnant!” she pleaded, clutching her belly. But the men showed no mercy. What followed was a nightmare—12 to 15 men surrounded her, unleashing a brutal attack. They assaulted her until the early hours of the morning, leaving her battered on the street. Before fleeing, they robbed her of Tk. 13,500 and her phone, warning her to remain silent.
Sumaiya was later taken to the Dhaka Medical Hospital for treatment.
The widespread circulation of fake news has escalated tensions in an already volatile environment, where sex workers are subject to daily violence.
“After watching one such video, the child of a sex worker even attempted suicide,” Aleya Akter Lili, president of the Sex Workers Network of Bangladesh told Decode.
The problem of misinformation affecting vulnerable groups isn’t new in Bangladesh. In a recent case, videos of attacks on trans women in Cox’s Bazar were shared with the false claim that the victims were Hindu women. The clips, which went viral, portrayed trans women being harassed and assaulted, but the captions falsely stated that they were Hindu women being punished for their religion. This sparked outrage, further fueling communal tensions. BOOM debunked the claim, revealing the videos involved trans women and had no communal aspect.
Rina Akter, president of Kalyanmoyi Nari Sangha, an organisation supporting 350 floating sex workers in Dhaka, debunked the viral misinformation. “It was completely fake that Hindu women were being attacked. The victims in the viral video were Muslims,” she told Decode. Akter clarified that even though there are sex workers from different religions including Hindus, the victims in the viral videos were all Muslims. “What’s even more distressing is that some people share these videos on social media with fabricated captions, making already vulnerable sex workers even more vulnerable.”
“These fake captions not only disregard the safety of sex workers but also damage religious harmony. This is also a violation of human rights,” she said adding that they supported the students’ movement that eventually led to Sheikh Hasina’s fall, highlighting that there has been relentless attacks on sex workers following the historic political upheavel in Bangladesh.
The spread of misinformation exacerbates the challenges faced by sex workers in Bangladesh, particularly those in the capital. Across neighborhoods like Jatrabari, Farmgate, and Asad Gate, sex workers have been targeted with violence, leaving many severely injured. According to the Sex Workers Network, there are an estimated 10,000 floating sex workers in Dhaka alone, and recent assaults have become alarmingly frequent since early August.
Protesting such incidents, the Sex Workers Network of Bangladesh recently held a program in Dhaka and urged the government to intervene. They demanded an end to the violence against sex workers and the swift punishment of their attackers. However, the government’s response has been inadequate, with many sex workers fearing that their voices will continue to be silenced by the same society that exploits and marginalises them.
Decode talked with several sex workers who explained that the money they earn goes to their landlords, local officials, brokers, and even goons.
“We witnessed a dramatic increase in such assaults in August, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina. We don’t have any other options to rely on for survival. If we are attacked for doing our work, how will we survive?” some of them asked.
These attacks are not confined to the streets of Dhaka. In the Daulatdia brothel, one of the largest in the world, groups of men vandalized homes and looted between August 5 and 10, forcing many women to flee and live in inhumane conditions.
Mahbooba Mahmood Leena, chairperson of Shonghoti, an alliance protecting the rights of sex workers, said that attacks have become commonplace. “Sex workers are being beaten and their hair cut off whenever they step outside.”
Aleya Akter Lili, President of Sex Workers Network of Bangladesh, said that there is no law in the country that prohibits sex work. The High Court has ruled that sex workers consent to engage in sexual acts voluntarily, and although it is not a socially accepted profession, there is no legal ban on sex work. “For years, the human rights of sex workers have been violated in various ways. Society has created this profession out of necessity. Although the rules and regulations of the business have changed over time and across locations, the violence has not ceased.”
She alleged that the government often sides with the perpetrators, pushing sex workers further into a cycle of abuse under the guise of rehabilitation and eviction.
Sharmeen Murshid, an advisor to the Ministry of Social Welfare, acknowledged the severity of the situation. “These incidents are violations of human rights. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. Those responsible for these acts must be punished.”