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

may increase their vulnerability to sexual exploitation. However, while attention to these
special groups is necessary, the need to prevent and respond to the abuse and exploitation of
children from less marginalized families across different cultures cannot be underestimated.
Particularly regarding sexual abuse in the home and family, evidence indicates that children
from all walks of life, including the privileged, can be victims. 13
As discussed below, there are considerable limitations in evidence collected from present
research. Much of the data, particularly those from police, government and media sources, are
often difficult to verify, and this is further confounded by very limited information on reports
of abuse and exploitation. Thus, current research is inadequate to determine the comparative
prevalence of sexual abuse of boys versus girls. In much of the research, data are not
disaggregated for boys and girls, and male experiences of sexual exploitation and abuse are
generally underreported. Available disaggregated data indicate a somewhat higher prevalence
of sexual abuse and violence against girls than boys in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and
Pakistan. 14
Children of all age groups experience sexual abuse. Preschool children of both sexes are
considered equally vulnerable, although this is yet to be verified by research. Both girls and
boys are at risk of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Perpetrators may abuse
preschool children with impunity because very young children may not fully comprehend that
they have been abused and are often unable to tell others about it. Often, the abuse is only
discovered when the child presents symptoms of physical harm. 15
Among children aged 6 to 12 years old in South Asia, boys are generally considered to be
more vulnerable than girls outside the home because social custom protects and monitors
girls more, while boys have relatively more freedom. 16 Social customs contribute to the
vulnerability of boys, as they are generally considered capable of protecting themselves and
because society in general tends to deny the sexual abuse of boys and consensual sexual
relationships between males. This may explain why the sexual abuse of boys is less frequently
reported than the abuse of girls, whether due to lower frequency or greater denial of the
problem, and statistics may not give an accurate picture of the problem.
With the exception of cultures in the region in which pubescent and post-pubescent females,
due to cultural and/or religious norms, tend to be restricted to the home, adolescents appear to
have greater mobility, are more subject to the influence and coercion of peers, and are often
culturally, if not legally, considered to be adults capable of making their own decisions. In
13 Breaking the Silence Group, Bangladesh, 2003, ‘Learning from experience: Case studies of non-commercial
sexual abuse of children in Bangladesh; P. Virani, 2000, ‘Bitter chocolate: Child sexual abuse in India’; Society
for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 1998, ‘Children in danger: The sexual abuse of children’.
14 Breaking the Silence Group, Bangladesh, 1997, ‘Non-commercial sexual abuse of children in Bangladesh: A
case study based report’; Haq Centre for Child Rights, 2005, ‘Status of children in India Inc.; UNICEF and
Child Workers in Nepal, 2005, ‘Violence against children in Nepal: Child sexual abuse in Nepal: Children’s
perspectives’; Save the Children Sweden-Peshawar and Pakistan Paediatric Association, 2003, ‘Extent of child
abuse in Pakistan’.
15 De Silva, H. and Hobbs, C., 2000, ‘Child abuse: A manual for medical officers in Sri Lanka’.
16 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’.
6