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

A study of sexual exploitation in tourism in Agra, Delhi and Jaipur also noted the extensive
use of child prostitutes by both local and foreign tourists. 233 Data from this study regarding
the boys’ backgrounds complement the data from the Goa and Kerala study. In both, families
were distinguished by domestic violence, poverty and lack of primary caregivers, and in both
the children were distinguished by low education and the obligation to provide for their own
and their families’ basic needs. In both studies the boys were employed and were sexually
abused by employers and co-workers.
5.1.5.3 Trafficking for sexual exploitation
There are numerous informal reports from the media and NGOs of trafficking of boys within
the country for forced and bonded labour in agriculture, domestic service, begging and work
in brick kilns, embroidery factories, rice mills and other small-scale industries, as well as
trafficking to other countries for the fishing industry and to the Gulf states for work as camel
jockeys. 234 However, there are relatively few formal studies on these situations (and
reviewing all was outside the scope of this review). No nationwide studies have been
conducted, and from existing data it is not possible to estimate the scope of boy trafficking in
any sector, given the immense range of the country. At present data are not available to
indicate trafficking of boys inside or outside India for sexual exploitation. However, as
mentioned above, many of the situations into which boys are trafficked make them extremely
vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation.
5.2 Legislation
India acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992. It has ratified the
Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and the
SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for
Prostitution. It has signed the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol). It has not signed ILO
Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. India adopted the Stockholm
Declaration and Agenda for Action in 1996 and reaffirmed its commitment in Yokohama in
2001.
National legislation addressing the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children in India
includes the Indian Penal Code 1860; Immoral Traffic Prevention Act 1956; Immoral Traffic
Prevention Act Amendment Bill 2006; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act
2000; Juvenile Justice Amendment Act 2006; Indecent Representation of Women
(Prohibition) Act 1986; and Information Technology Act 2000. One piece of state legislation,
the Goa Children’s Act 2000, is notable for its comprehensiveness in addressing child sexual
abuse and exploitation.
233
ECPAT International and Sanlaap, 2003, ‘A situational analysis of child sex tourism in India (Agra, Delhi,
Jaipur)’.
234
ECPAT International, 2006, ‘Global monitoring report on the status of action against commercial sexual
exploitation of children: India’.
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