Banishanta Island is made up of a community of sex workers living in what is one of the 19 legal brothels in Bangladesh.

Living on a tiny sliver of land 100 meters long and only ten meters wide in the Bay of Bengal, south Bangladesh, this community survives at the frontline of climate change. The rising river, soil erosion and frequent cyclones are slowly destroying what is left of the island. Razia, Khadija, Shefali and her daughter, amongst the last 65 women left living there, are in a battle for their homes, the future of their families, and even their quest for true love. As they strive to hold onto their livelihood, time is running out. Soon the whole of Banishanta will be totally submerged under water, making it one of the first real casualties of the shifting global environment.

Open since the beginning of the 60’s, this village/brothel grew prosperous thanks to the intense commercial activity of the river port of Mongla, only one mile away from Banishanta. Every day hundreds of clients, mostly sailors, would visit the 350 women living on the Island. Today this prosperity has gone and the number of sex workers is drastically reduced. Mongla Port has closed down because river erosion and increased river sediment has made passage for the big ships impossible. Today the clients that visit the brothel barely exceed ten.