We are alarmed by the allegations of extortion and intimidation emerging from Kalyanpur Porabosti, highlighting a culture of criminal control over the capital’s vulnerable communities.

With a shift in political landscape, new groups are vying for control at some slums and footpaths in Dhaka.

Eighteen-year-old Julekha Begum, of Tejgaon slum, was married off at 15 and is currently in the ninth month of pregnancy.