We are pleased to share that a new research paper from our department has been published in Culture & Psychology (SAGE), an internationally recognised journal in cultural and cross-cultural psychology.

The paper, titled "Beyond Redemption: Prevention, Protection, and Narrative Identity Construction among Bangladeshi Street-Based Female Sex Workers," is authored by Azharul Islam, PhD, Md. Reza A. Rabby,  Md. Mokaddes Ali and Shamsul Haque, PhD.

This research was funded by a grant from the Centre for Advanced Studies and Research in Biological Sciences of the University of Dhaka, awarded to the first author. 

The study explores how 30 street-based female sex workers in Bangladesh construct their sense of self and identity through life stories, despite experiencing severe trauma, poverty, and social stigma. Drawing on interviews of 103 personal narratives, the research identifies six key identity themes, including trauma, maternal identity, resilience, community support, empowerment, and shame, and shows how motherhood and peer networks serve as powerful cultural resources for meaning-making and healing.

The findings challenge Western psychological models of identity and call for prevention-focused policies that address childhood adversity as the primary pathway into sex work, alongside community-based psychosocial support for those already engaged.

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X261434549