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

men. Boys cannot get pregnant and are not seen to be seriously psychologically or physically
affected by sexual abuse. 316
While data on the sexual abuse of boys in the home are incomplete, it has been shown that
schools, madrassahs 317 and the workplace are all vulnerable situations for boys. Concern
about abuse of boys in schools was raised following scandals in 2003-2004 in a boys’
boarding school in Peshawar. The incident resulted in discussion of the problem at the
National Consultation on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation in 2003, organized by the
PPA and Save the Children Sweden, as well as on local television channels. In a recent study,
community leaders and adolescent boys said openly that schools are not safe and that teachers
threaten or blackmail boys into sexual abuse and fine or discipline them if they refuse. 318
Among the many Pakistani boys who work away from their homes, many are at risk of sexual
abuse. As elsewhere in South Asia, children living on the street likely have the highest rate of
sexual abuse of any vulnerable group of boys. These children have no mechanisms of
protection except their peers and, in some cases, local gangs. They are highly visible and,
particularly the youngest, highly vulnerable to the sexual and physical aggression of thugs,
shop owners, police and other men and boys in the community. Children living on the street
become involved in ‘survival sex’, providing sexual services to protect themselves from
greater abuse, gain physical protection from gangs and older peers, and obtain food and
shelter.
Estimates of the incidence of sexual abuse of boys living on the street vary, but all are high. A
study in Lahore showed that 80 per cent had experienced commercial or forced sexual
contact. More than one-half had been gang raped. 319 A study of knowledge, attitude,
behaviour and practices of 503 children living on the street in Karachi found that 63 per cent
had been sexually abused, and of those nearly three-quarters had been victims of gang rape. 320
All studies of children being sexually exploited in prostitution showed a high rate of previous
sexual abuse, most often in connection with street living and then in the workplace. Nearly
one-sixth of boys in Pakistan aged 10 to 14 are working, and many of them depend almost
entirely on their employers for food, shelter and income. Given the existing scope for manboy
sexual relationships, this power in the hands of employers is conducive to demanding
sexual favours from the child as an additional service. In some labour situations, such as boys
who work as helpers, or kailashis, for truck drivers, sexual services are considered part of the
316 Save the Children Sweden-Denmark (Slugget, C), 2003, ‘Mapping of psychosocial support for girls and boys
affected by child sexual abuse in four countries in South and Central Asia’.
317 Madrassahs are Islamic religious schools. The madrassahs fill a gap in Pakistan’s weak educational system,
providing free education, religious teachings, lodging and board to children from impoverished families.
318 ECPAT International and Pakistan Paediatrics Association, 2006, op.cit.
319 Ali, A. et al., 2002, ‘Geographic and social mapping of sexual practices among street children’, presented at
3 rd annual Population Research Conference, 19-21 December 2002, Islamabad.
320 Pakistan Voluntary Health and Nutrition Association and Azad Foundation, 2004, ‘KABPS study for street
children in Karachi’.
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