Ecpat: Child Sex Abuse And Social Customs [Study]
A recent report released by the
Bangkok-based international child protection campaign group, ECPAT (End Child
Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual
Purposes), found that socially accepted customs are being used to shelter child
sexual abuse in various countries.
The report highlights that though child
marriages are unlawful in many countries, they are rampant in most parts of
South Asia and the Middle East. This form of child abuse which allows elder men
to have sex with young children under the name of marriage is acceptable in most
societies where parents are keen on getting rid of their girl children at a
young age. In a lot of the cases, young girls are forced to have sex sex with
older men under the name of marriage and are later abandoned.
Another form of child abuse that is rampant
but least talked about is the use of underage boys as homosexual prostitutes in
various parts of South Asia, particularly in Pakistan. The report states that
children caught in this situation cannot escape from it nor can they approach
the police for assistance because they are considered social outcasts.
The report also mentions that the internet has played an active role in the increase of child pornography and prostitution. Pornography material is available freely on the internet and most pimps now have their own website through which they advertise and promote child prostitution.
