SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION OF BOYS IN SOUTH ASIA A ...

sexual abuse affects girls more than boys – 19 per cent of girls versus 14 per cent of boys. 310
A 1998 study using data drawn from newspaper reports indicated an approximate 2:1 ratio of
girls abused to boys abused. 311 The report showed that boys and girls were almost equally
vulnerable up to age 15, but boys in the 15-to-18 age group were significantly less vulnerable
than girls. A 2001 seminal study in the four provinces and the federally administered
territories collected qualitative primary data from 233 children using semi-structured and
unstructured interview techniques. It found that girls were more likely to be sexually abused
by family members, acquaintances and neighbours, while boys were more at risk from
teachers and strangers. 312
Reporting of incest is low in Pakistan because of the taboo against discussion of matters that
might injure family dignity. In the sexual abuse cases monitored by the NGO Sahil in 1997,
six per cent involved incest. 313 The NGO Rozan analysed a random sample of 100
confidential letters from victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Nearly half were incest
cases, and one third of the victims were boys. The average age of children at the onset of
sexual abuse in the family was 6 to 8 years. One-third of the perpetrators were older cousins,
nearly as many were uncles and one-fifth were brothers. Notably, 10 per cent of the
perpetrators were female. 314
While some data indicate a slightly higher prevalence of sexual abuse of girls than boys in
Pakistan, these data need to be confirmed by further research. The term ‘homosexuality’ as
understood in the West does not easily encompass the wide range of masculinities, gender
identities, sexual behaviours, partner choices and perceived sexual needs of men in South
Asia. As mentioned earlier in this section, the cultural acceptance of man-boy personal
relationships provides opportunity for extensive sexual abuse, and this situation is not denied
among informants. In a study conducted by the Pakistan Paediatrics Association in Lahore
and Peshawar, even respected community leaders did not deny the prevalence of homosexual
activities between men and boys. They stated that while it is disgraceful to be a passive
(receptive) partner in a homosexual relationship, it is a matter of male power and pride to be
an active (insertive) partner. 315
In an unpublished study conducted in the North-West Frontier Provinces (NWFP) with
approximately 14 focus groups of village leaders and influential men, 23 per cent of
informants considered sex with young boys a matter of pride, 14 per cent considered it a
symbol of status and 11 per cent did not consider it bad. In the view of many persons in the
more conservative tribal areas of Pakistan, adolescent boys are not considered men until they
marry. Before that, they are ‘beardless youth’ and are considered sexually available to other
310
Pakistan Voluntary Health and Nutrition Association, 2000, ‘Adolescent reproductive and sexual health: An
exploration of trends in Pakistan’.
311
Sahil, 1998, ‘Child sexual abuse and exploitation in Pakistan’.
312
UNESCAP and NCCWD, 2001, ‘Sexually abused and sexually exploited children and youth in Pakistan: A
qualitative assessment of their health needs and available services in selected provinces’.
313
Sahil, 1998, ‘Child sexual abuse and exploitation in Pakistan’.
314
Aangan, 1998, ‘Study on incest and child sexual abuse’.
315
ECPAT International and Pakistan Paediatrics Association, 2006, ‘Situational analysis report on prostitution
of boys in Pakistan (Lahore and Peshawar)’.
106