The young girl had been abducted and was about to be sold into prostitution. Soon after Ms. Ali started her law practice in 1986, she joined the Association, which provides free legal aid to women in need. Now the Association has grown to include 200 members, with 40 active lawyers working part or full time. They run 24 legal aid clinics countrywide for women. Most of them had been remanded to 'safe custody' in jail, by the courts.
Police can arrest people for suspected movement, without a warrant.
It often happens near Dhaka railway station. A young woman comes to Dhaka for a job. She looks confused when the police question her and she cannot give a local address. She is taken into protective custody. Ms. Ali was shocked at the situation, and that year became the first lawyer in Bangladesh to obtain the release of such a runaway.