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

control the areas where the boys work. At the same time, the pimps extract money from the
boys by making them financially dependent through loans and threatening to expose them to
their friends and families. The mastans often rape the boys, take their money and charge a
‘tax’ on their income for working within the territory they control.
The study also documents police exploitation of these boys, including rape, harassment and
beatings as well as regular extortion of money through threats of sending them to correction
centres. As boys rely on bus and train stations for soliciting clients as well as sleeping,
officials and guards also extract money and sex from the boys. Among the boys interviewed
in the 2006 study, 82 per cent said they were routinely raped without being paid.
On the positive side, boys found some support from local shopkeepers, who often provided
credit, protection and a place to keep their belongings as well as ‘counselling’ on their
problems. The boys stated that some of their clients were also ‘good exploiters’ and gave
them psychological support and friendship as well as money. 185
4.1.5.2 Exploitation in travel and tourism
There are no reports of sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism for international
travellers in Bangladesh. However, boys exploited as prostitutes have been unofficially
reported at Cox’s Bazar, an important seaside destination for local tourists. Boys solicit
clients on the beaches and in restaurants and small hotels. 186 There have been no studies of
exploitation of children through prostitution for international or local tourists in Bangladesh.
4.1.5.3 Trafficking for sexual exploitation
While research has been conducted on the cross-border trafficking of Bangladeshi women and
girls for sexual exploitation, 187 there is almost no information on boys in this area. Boys are
trafficked across borders for other purposes, including fishing, and are trafficked internally
for domestic service, agricultural labour and other exploitive labour situations. 188 However,
there does not appear to be significant trafficking of boys directly for sexual exploitation,
either externally or internally.
At the same time, the internal and cross-border migration of Bangladeshi boys is extensive. 189
It can be presumed that external migration poses similar risks of sexual abuse and
exploitation for boys as does internal migration and separation from family.
185 ECPAT International and INCIDIN Bangladesh, 2006, ‘The boys and the bullies: A situational analysis
report on prostitution of boys in Bangladesh’.
186 Haber, D., 2004, Personal communication.
187 For example, Blanchet, T., 2002, ‘Beyond boundaries: A critical look at women labour migration and the
trafficking within’.
188 International Labour Organization, 2002, ‘Rapid assessment on trafficking in children for exploitative
employment in Bangladesh’.
189 Global Poverty Research Group (Conticini, A. and Hulme, D.), 2006, ‘Escaping violence, seeking freedom:
Why children in Bangladesh migrate to the street’, Manchester, U.K., GPRG.
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