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

an estimated 150,000 women, primarily mothers of small children, had migrated to the Gulf
states to work as housemaids or in other occupations. This number has increased considerably
since 2000, and the absence of primary caregivers in the home is considered a primary causal
factor for the apparent high rate of domestic sexual abuse. 383
Sri Lanka has rapidly developed its tourism industry since the 1970s. In 2002 it accounted for
nearly 8 per cent of economic growth and is the fourth largest generator of income. 384 The
low level of child protection, high level of family fragmentation and strong promotion of
tourism have contributed to the growth of an industry that has resulted in the sexual
exploitation of children in tourism. In Sri Lanka, the exploitation of boys appears to be
greater than that of girls, and the majority of boys being exploited in prostitution serve the
tourism industry. 385
8.1.2 Knowledge base
The knowledge base on the sexual abuse and exploitation of boys in Sri Lanka is weak,
considering that Sri Lanka has long been aware of boys’ sexual exploitation and started
investigating sexual abuse of children and sexual exploitation of boys in the 1980s, earlier
than any other country in South Asia. However, unlike other South Asian countries, sexual
abuse and exploitation have been topics of academic discourse for the last 15 years. Sri
Lankan academics have been exploring the linkages between sexual abuse and exploitation
and examining the effect of family dysfunction and domestic abuse on children entering
prostitution, an activity still new among all but a few academics in other South Asian
countries. This discourse has directly influenced legislation, policy and programming,
resulting in a focus on addressing problems in families and communities that increase
children’s vulnerability to abuse and exploitation.
At the same time, formal research outside academia has been scarce and of mixed quality.
Relatively little research has been conducted, and most of it is not recent. NGOs have not
applied rigorous methods in conducting research, nor have donor agencies carefully overseen
the methodological rigour of the research conducted. Most qualitative research on the
situation of boys consists primarily of case studies and descriptions of the venues of sexual
exploitation in travel and tourism. In almost all, target populations have been poorly defined
and analysis has been superficial. Reliable quantitative data on the sexual abuse of children
are lacking. However, it should be noted that two useful Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
(KAP) studies of children, parents and other stakeholders on sexual abuse and exploitation of
children have been conducted in the last three years, with UNICEF support. All other South
Asian countries are lacking KAP studies of similar comprehensiveness and quality, and are
thus lacking baseline data with which to monitor changes in social attitudes and evaluate the
effectiveness of prevention awareness interventions.
383
Save the Children in Sri Lanka, 2006, ‘The impact on children and families of mothers migrating for work
abroad.’ LST Review, 7:226.
384
International Labour Organization (S. Amarasinghe), 2002, ‘Sri Lanka: The commercial sexual exploitation
of children: A rapid assessment,’ Geneva: ILO-IPEC.
385
PEACE, 1996, ‘Studies on the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Sri Lanka; and Weeramunda,
A.J., 1994, ‘Child prostitution or poverty’ in Economic Review, May-June 1994.
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