Beyond Redemption: Prevention,Protection,and Narrative Identity Construction among Bangladeshi Street-Based Female Sex Workers

Abstract

This study examines how Bangladeshi street-based female sex workers construct their narrative identity within the context of structural stigma, emphasizing how cultural resources support their meaning-making processes. Through thematic analysis of 103 life-event narratives from 30 participants, we identify six identity themes: (1) trauma and victimization (similar to McAdams’ contamination sequences), (2) maternal identity as a redemptive force, (3) adaptive resilience demonstrating agency, (4) community solidarity reflecting communion, (5) rights-based empowerment, and (6) stigma and internalized shame. Notably, all participants experienced severe childhood adversity, family dysfunction (100%), displacement from home (67%), and violence (93%), suggesting a common pathway from childhood trauma to entering sex work rather than a voluntary career choice. Early trauma often fragmented autobiographical memory, evidenced by predominantly overgeneral turning points (85%), but culturally mediated resources facilitated redemption. Motherhood and NGO-facilitated peer networks served as collective scaffolding for generativity, transforming contamination sequences through shared meaning-making. Participants’ low psychological well-being (GHQ-12, M = 21.57) was contextualized but did not influence narrative patterns. By illustrating how redemption emerges through culturally distributed rather than sole individual processes, we extend McAdams’ model and challenge Western individualistic paradigms of identity development. The study advocates for prevention-focused interventions addressing childhood adversity as the main pathway to sex work, alongside culturally grounded support leveraging maternal identity and peer testimony for those already engaged. It argues that both prevention and psychological healing require collective, not just personal, narrative repair.