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

home during government slum evictions or destruction of squatter settlements. 168 However,
family dysfunction and the erosion of family protection are more common ‘push’ factors. A
2006 study of boys living on the street noted a prevalence of broken family units. The
children talked of families broken down due to alcoholism, violence, conflict, abusive stepparents,
abandonment, death of a parent, divorce and polygamy. Forty-four per cent of the
children said their fathers had taken an additional wife. Of those fathers, 60 per cent had
brought the second wife to the house, resulting in conflict with the first wife and alienation of
her children. These children were often shifted to relatives who considered them a burden,
leading to their neglect and consequent departure from the home. 169
However, physical and sexual abuse was the reason most cited for separation from the family.
In the study, which involved a qualitative investigation of 93 children using participant
observation, play activities, in-depth interviews and group discussions, 26 per cent reported
experiencing physical violence and 6 per cent reported sexual violence before they left
home. 170 In another study of children’s reasons for leaving home and entering street living,
boys most often cited physical and sexual oppression from step-parents and parents, followed
by the search for work, then poverty. 171
However (as explained below), escaping violence and abuse in the family did not improve
their situations. Separating from the family and entering the workplace or the street increased
their exposure to sexual abuse – and this in turn contributed to their entering prostitution, in
which sexual abuse was aggravated by commercial exploitation.
4.1.4 Sexual exploitation in pornography
No research has been conducted on pornography in Bangladesh and no information is
available on its prevalence, its effect on children, or the abuse and exploitation of children in
the production of child pornography. There are unsubstantiated reports of children being used
in the production of pornographic photos and films, as well as being trafficked to India for
such purposes. 172 Young people today have considerable access to the Internet throughout the
country, and informal reports indicate that access to pornography among young people is
increasing
4.1.5 Other forms of sexual exploitation
4.1.5.1 Prostitution
As with the other countries in the region, there is no reliable information on the number of
children exploited through prostitution in Bangladesh, either male or female. Both male and
168 Global Poverty Research Group (Conticini, A. and Hulme, D.), 2006, ‘Escaping violence, seeking freedom:
Why children in Bangladesh migrate to the street’.
169 Ibid.
170 Ibid.
171 Groupe Developpement, 2006, ‘Survival strategies: A study of children living on streets and railway
platforms of West Bengal and Bangladesh’.
172 ECPAT International, 2006, ‘Global monitoring report on the status of action against commercial sexual
exploitation of children: Bangladesh’.
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