Tuesday, September 21, 1999
South China Morning Post: SOUTH ASIA TODAY

Dhaka forced to face sex taboos

BANGLADESH by ARSHAD MAHMUD in Dhaka 

Homosexuality, in theory, does not even exist. But in reality,
its practice is creating a dilemma for Bangladeshi authorities,
social workers and medical professionals. 

They simply do not seem to know how to deal with it. 

The subject has been strictly taboo in this predominantly
Muslim society. 

So when the daily Manavzamin reported about a police
clampdown on homosexuals in Dhaka, many readers seem to
have been jolted by the revelation of their existence. 

The reaction of many, even among the educated, was that
homosexuality in Bangladesh was an absurd suggestion and
that gays plying their trade in public was preposterous. 

When police arrested 15 boys and men two weeks ago, they
did not use the word "homosexual", instead describing them as
"perverts" on their charge sheets. 

The action, police said, was aimed at curbing "a growing
menace". 

It is not difficult to find male "sex workers" in the city. Each
evening they can be seen loitering at busy intersections and
parks that are well-known pick-up points. 

But the clampdown caused another headache for police
because there is no law on the statute books to specifically
deal with the problem. 

So a Dhaka magistrate charged the "perverts" with causing a
"public nuisance" and fined them 500 takas (HK$79) each. All
were released and, as expected, are back in business. 

However, that is not the end of the story. What has caused
consternation among various professional groups and social
scientists is the arrest of a worker from a non-government
organisation. He was accused of pandering to the "business". 

The Bandhu Social Welfare Society is reported to have been
supplying condoms and providing advice on safe sex to
homosexuals. 

"This is an issue which exists in every society and we must not
pretend that it doesn't exist here. No amount of intimidation or
arrests is going to solve the problem," said Dr Halida Hanum
Khandker, president of Confidential Approach to Aids
Prevention. 

"We cannot turn a blind eye to the problem, rather we should
all try to tackle it in a practical way," said Mushtaque Ali,
executive director of Incidence, a group that provides medical
assistance to male sex workers. 

Incidence began its work three years ago after conducting a
study that revealed young boys, mostly poor and homeless,
were being increasingly used as sex workers. 

Among male sex workers in Dhaka, two brothers named Kalam
and Lalu are perhaps the best known. Aged 26 and 24
respectively, both are dumb. 

An elder brother tried beating them to stop their "horrible
acts", but now others in the family accept the situation. A
nephew said: "Every morning my uncles come home with their
pockets bulging with money. For poor people like us, money is
crucial."