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

versus girls in institutions in South Asia or of the factors that contribute to the sexual abuse of
boys in institutional settings.
1.4.5 The workplace
As in many parts of the developing world, work is a central feature of most childhoods in
South Asia, especially among rural and poor children. While work has a gendered dimension,
most is unpaid and done for the household. A large number of children do, however, engage
in remunerated work outside the immediate family. For many such girls and boys, the
workplace provides similar risks to sexual abuse and exploitation as do institutions. Children
are often without caregivers or protectors, are subject to the absolute authority of their
employers or pressure from older co-workers, and have little recourse to help and support.
While most sexual abuse of children in the workplace is perpetrated by employers, children
may also suffer such abuse from co-workers, police, labour officials and customers. Labour
exploitation is often linked with sexual exploitation. 44 Workplaces in which children are
hidden from public view, such as domestic service, and those in which children and adults are
particularly exploited, such as sweatshops and bonded labour situations, provide the most
opportunities for sexual abuse.
While recent publications have highlighted violence against children in the workplace, 45 the
data are inadequate on the prevalence or conditions of sexual abuse of children who are
working, particularly in South Asia. 46 It is difficult to compare the relative prevalence of
sexual abuse of girls versus boys in the workplace, given that girls and boys typically perform
different forms of work. In situations where both girls and boys work, including domestic
service, workshops, brick kilns and factories, data indicate a higher abuse of girls. 47 Some
forms of work limited to boys, such as assistants to overland truck drivers, appear to be
frequently accompanied by sexual abuse. 48 However, not enough data have been collected to
compare the sexual abuse of boys and girls in various work situations in South Asia.
1.5 Situations of Social Disruption
Situations of social disruption such as armed conflict and natural disasters damage the
integrity of family life for children. Both can result in physical injury and death, family
dispersal, loss of homes and schools, failure of basic services and community disorder. In
armed conflict, this situation can be exacerbated by hostility within the family or among
community members, abduction of adults and children into military service, and fear of
violence by soldiers and armed groups. In the resulting breakdown of communities and
families, children can lose their ‘safety nets’ of protection and are at greater risk of sexual
44
International Labour Organization, 2006, ‘Violence against children in places of work’.
45
Ibid.
46
United Nations General Assembly (Pinheiro, P.S.), 2006, ‘Report of the independent expert for the United
Nations Study on Violence against Children’.
47
International Labour Organization, 2006, ‘Violence against children in places of work’.
48
For example: A. Hussain, 2000, ‘Nowhere to hide’, In J. Frederick (ed.), ‘Fallen Angels: The sex workers of
South Asia’.
12