Thousands of girls in Bangladesh are being lured into commercial sexual exploitation through false job offers, deceptive relationships and trafficking networks operating behind the façade of spas, hotels and rented flats.
Many are exploited before reaching adulthood, held against their will and subjected to physical and psychological abuse, often without effective legal or social protection.
The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 identify child sex trafficking as a widespread problem in Bangladesh, estimating that around 30,000 girls are victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
Available data suggest that about 45 per cent of sex workers in the country were forced into the trade during childhood.
A study, Through Her Eyes, published by the Freedom Fund and the Population Council, estimated that around 5,000 girls involved in street-based sex work in Dhaka district and 1,700 in brothels across Dhaka division were victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
It found that 25.2 per cent of street-based sex workers and 22.9 per cent of brothel-based sex workers were aged 17 or younger. In Dhaka and surrounding areas, around 22 per cent of female sex workers had experienced sexual exploitation during childhood.
At a 2025 roundtable on improving sex workers’ living standards, Dr Halida Hanum Akhter, founder of the Bangladesh Institute of Reproductive Health Research, said the country had around 200,000 sex workers, including approximately 29,000 minors, who lacked adequate legal and social protection.
The International Labour Organization’s 2024 report, Profit and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour, estimated that 6.3 million people were subjected to forced commercial sexual exploitation worldwide on any given day in 2021.
Women and girls accounted for 78 per cent of victims, while children represented 27 per cent.
The report estimated that forced labour generated $236 billion in illegal profits annually, including $172 billion from commercial sexual exploitation.
Article 34 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires signatory states to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, including prostitution and pornography.
Trafficking networks
Traffickers are increasingly using online platforms and social media to recruit victims and attract clients.
While countries including Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia have restricted social media use by children under 16, and Brazil has set the minimum age at 14, Bangladesh has yet to announce comparable measures.
In Dhaka, allegations of trafficking and sexual exploitation have surfaced against operators of spa centres, hotels and rented flats, particularly in Gulshan and Banani.
Brokers reportedly distribute visiting cards and post online advertisements featuring women to attract clients.
Allegations suggest that some operators hold girls aged 14 to 16 against their will, restrict their movements and subject them to abuse.
Property owners who knowingly rent premises to criminal operators may also be facilitating the activities.
Separate allegations suggest that trafficking networks move around 200 young men and women monthly from Gulshan and Banani to countries including Malaysia, Dubai and India.
The problem extends to Cox’s Bazar, where more than 40 allegedly illegal spas and massage centres have reportedly emerged in tourist areas, including Smart Thai Spa at Zinia Resort and World Beach Spa in Kolatoli.
A woman who alleged that she had been lured to Black Rose Spa, opposite the Cultural Centre in Cox’s Bazar, with promises of employment filed a case under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act.
She accused the operators of holding her captive, forcing her into sexual activities and assaulting her.
Police arrested the centre’s manager, Md Kasem, alias Raju, following a raid in the Link Road area. He was sent to jail, while the alleged owner, Sirajul Islam Saju, remained at large, according to reports.
Similar allegations have been made against Black Rose, China Rose and other centres, where women are reportedly lured under the pretext of massage, filmed in compromising situations and intimidated.
Claims of drug use and sexual exploitation at these premises have also raised questions about alleged protection from influential quarters.
Further allegations have emerged against a former senior Tourist Police officer. In a video message released on 28 October, a woman named Laila accused the officer of raping her in a Kolatoli hotel after putting a substance in her drink. The allegation requires investigation and independent verification.
The international dimension was highlighted on 9 July, when Malaysian immigration authorities raided a brothel in Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, rescuing 14 foreign women, including 10 Bangladeshis aged between 18 and 36.
Three supervisors were arrested under Section 12 of Malaysia’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Weak enforcement
Crime experts cite weak enforcement, delayed trials and inadequate punishment as factors allowing trafficking networks to persist.
Reshmin Nahar Asha of Dhaka Ahsania Mission said legal loopholes and accused persons obtaining bail often obstructed cases and prolonged trials.
Concerns have also been raised about police responses to allegations involving spa centres in Gulshan and Banani.
Critics allege that some operators enjoy protection from unscrupulous officials, while raids sometimes result in the arrest of employees rather than the alleged organisers and traffickers.
Police have reportedly cited a lack of evidence in court as a reason many accused persons secure bail and allegedly return to criminal activities.
Wahida Banu, executive director of Aparajeyo Bangladesh, said non-governmental organisations were working to address the problem, but the government must take the lead in protecting and rehabilitating vulnerable children.
A government-funded initiative offers some hope. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Bangladesh Shishu Academy have jointly adopted the Rehabilitation of Street Children and Children at Risk, Including Housing Facilities project for 2026-2031.
With an allocation of Tk 420 crore, it aims to provide direct protection to around 25,000 children, with a wider potential reach of 500,000.
However, experts warn that street children are only part of the problem. Thousands of girls remain vulnerable to exploitation through concealed trafficking networks and online recruitment.
Stronger investigations, faster trials, effective victim protection and rehabilitation, and exemplary punishment for those convicted of trafficking and sexual exploitation are essential to tackling the crisis.