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

The Sangath Centre for Child Development and Family Guidance in Goa works on child
development and family behavioural and mental health. It works extensively on child sexual
abuse cases, with a focus on child sexual exploitation through travel and tourism. The centre
also conducts workshops on childhood and sexuality for parents, teachers and other
caregivers.
The Socio-Legal Aid Research and Training Centre in Kolkata conducts education
programmes for boys aged 10 to 16 on sexual abuse and exploitation, HIV/AIDS and sexual
health. The Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse in Chennai
conducts awareness programmes with schools and working children on sexual abuse. The
organization has developed a personal safety education manual that empowers children to
take part in their own protection by giving them age-appropriate information and teaching life
skills.
As in other countries of the region, in India the media often present incidents of sexual abuse
and exploitation in a sensational manner. Stereotyping dramatic incidents of sexual violence
such as gang rape is common, and the media rarely do investigative reporting of more
common sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly concerning boys. In addition, some media
have abused children’s rights to privacy and confidentiality by revealing identities of the
victims. The fair and objective presentation of sexual abuse and exploitation in the media is a
primary concern of government and international organizations. Following workshops in Goa,
Ranchi, Jaipur and Puri for legal experts, police, journalists, editors and representatives from
electronic media, the National Human Rights Commission, with support from UNICEF,
developed a Guidebook for the Media on Sexual Violence against Children.
5.4.4 Prevention through outreach to vulnerable boys
The boys most vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation, such as working children and
children living on the street, are an elusive and mobile group. They are best reached by
outreach workers who contact the children at their places of work and recreation, referring
them to drop-in centres that offer services such as health care, crisis response, counselling,
non-formal education and life skills to help them resist sexual abuse. Such drop-in centres
and similar non-institutional programmes have been established throughout India. Many noninstitutional
services for vulnerable boys are conducted on an experimental, ad hoc basis, with
limited integration and collaboration among service providers in a single city or geographical
area.
Kolkata, with a large population of boys living on the streets, was one of the first cities in
India to focus on the needs of vulnerable boys. A variety of non-institutional services are
available, with considerable networking and interaction among the care providers. Don Bosco
Ashalayam provides high-quality vocational training for boys at its residential centres. Its
outreach programme includes non-formal education and psychological support for children
living on the street. Staff are posted at Howrah Railway Station to intercept children newly
arrived from outlying areas and refer them to services. Loreto Day School collaborates with
the City-Level Programme of Action for Street and Working Children, operated by the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation. They run a teacher training institute and oversee the
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