MARY, Turkmenistan -- Maral became a sex worker to feed her two young children.
The 38-year-old, who is the sole breadwinner for her family, said financial desperation forced her into prostitution four years ago.
“There were times when I couldn’t even afford to cook a hot meal for my children for weeks, let alone buy them school supplies,” said Maral, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.
Maral is believed to be one of thousands of sex workers in Turkmenistan, where widespread poverty, unemployment, and crippling food shortages have driven some women to prostitution.
A native of the southeastern town of Turkmengala, Maral depended on remittances from her husband, who worked in Turkey. But she said that he stopped sending money and communicating with her.
Maral registered with her local employment center but could not find a job. She found seasonal work in the cotton fields.
The work was grueling and poorly paid. Maral said she was barely able to pay her rent, and her family mostly survived on bread and tea.
“There was no one to help me. My parents were old, and my mother-in-law suffered from ill-health,” said Maral. “I repeatedly sought help from social services but did not receive any support.”
Prostitution is a taboo in Turkmenistan, and most sex workers try to hide their profession from their families.
Maral is not alone.
“We have resorted to [prostitution] not because we want it; it is desperation that has imposed this situation upon us,” said a sex worker in the southeastern province of Mary, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“If the government provided us with jobs, none of us would have become [sex workers],” the woman added.
Exploited By Police
Prostitution is a criminal offence in Turkmenistan, and punishable by various administrative measures, including fines. Repeat offenders face up to two years in prison.
Despite being banned and widely condemned in the predominantly Muslim country, prostitution has long existed in Turkmenistan.
It has become more widespread in recent years as living costs skyrocket in the country, according to several sex workers and residents of Mary and the eastern province of Lebap who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Younger women find their clients mostly in bars and restaurants, charging an equivalent of $60 to $140 for their services, sex workers said.
Older women usually look for clients in truck stops and highway intersections and charge much lower fees, ranging from the equivalent of $15 to $30, they said.
But there are many risks for women, including contracting sexually transmitted diseases and becoming the victims of abuse and human trafficking.
“Some clients refuse to pay the fee that had been agreed upon beforehand. Some of them are very rude and physically and sexually abusive, and even beat us,” said a sex worker in Lebap.
Sex workers also accuse law enforcement of exploiting and blackmailing women involved in prostitution.
Police often round up sex workers and force them to pick cotton and do other agricultural work during harvest season, according to several women engaged in prostitution in Mary and Lebap.
Turkmen authorities routinely make students, teachers, and other state employees work in cotton fields.
“We especially face pressure from high-ranking officials at [regional] police and prosecutors’ offices,” said a sex worker in Mary.
“They take us to police stations and tell us that they will let us go without a fine or criminal probe, but they warn: ‘Whenever we ask, you have to come and serve us for free.’ They call us from time to time and we serve them free of charge,” the sex worker said.
She did not name any officials.
RFE/RL contacted the authorities in Mary, Lebap, and the capital, Ashgabat, for comment but did not receive any response.
