1 / 13When Zainab met her first client almost two years ago, she was drunk, drugged-up, and had passed out by the time he started raping her.2 / 13 She had never touched alcohol before, but was told she’d be better off unconscious. Terrified, she reluctantly agreed.The man was gone when the then 18-year-old woke up; her body in pain, her thoughts filled with regret.3 / 13She says she now has no alternative but to continue selling sex. In Afghanistan, sex work is illegal. But as war – and the widespread poverty that comes with it – lingers, the number of women and men who see the trade as their last option has been steadily rising.4 / 13Although the penal code does not specify the punishment for sex work, they risk a prison sentence if they get caught. “Poverty and illiteracy are the main drivers for prostitution,” says a spokesperson at the women’s affairs ministry. 5 / 13 “There’s a lack of understanding when it comes to sexual knowledge, especially among younger women. Often, they are deceived into the business.”6 / 13Several non-profit organisations across Afghanistan confirmed a steep rise in numbers, estimating that “hundreds” worked in the capital, Kabul.7 / 13With the burden of having to take care of her five younger siblings after her father’s death, Zainab had dropped out of school to work full-time as a housekeeper.8 / 13When her younger brother became ill and needed hospital care and medication, she asked for a pay advance. But her employer told her: “I don’t have money, but I can bring you a man. You’re a virgin, you will be able to receive a lot of money.”9 / 13It was then that Zainab found out about the underground brothel her employer ran. Now 20, Zainab continues to see between two and three men every week, receiving 2,000 afghani (£18) from each of them.10 / 13“I was 13 years old when my father died. My mother had long been sick, and as the oldest, I had to take responsibility for my family. I started working as a housekeeper, but the money was never enough,” Zainab says.11 / 13“Most of the men are young, between 25 and 30 years old, and most of them are married. They know my employer and call her to arrange an appointment. Some men request to choose from several girls,” she says, constantly reminding me how much she hates what she does.12 / 13“They take 10 minutes, sometimes 20. Some use condoms, but not all of them do,” she says, explaining that her employer provides regular birth control injections to avoid pregnancy, but that she was worried about diseases. “Every time I’m alone in a room with a man, I am scared.” Neither friends nor family know how she’s sustaining an income. Zainab tells them she still works as a housekeeper.13 / 13 Zainab says she cannot see a way out of her current situation.“I know it’s dangerous. I’m scared living this double life,” Zainab says. “But I don’t know how else I would support my younger siblings. I’m sacrificing myself for my family.”