Issues: Child prostitution is showing dangerously increasing trend in South-East Asia.
Project: Poverty, economic recession, unemployment, migration, human trafficking continuously push children between 11 – 17 years, mostly girls, into sex trade within an environment where increasing need for virgin sex objects and growing fear of contracting HIV through sex with adults creates strong demand for young children in South-East Asia. Escalating demand for children in porn industries is an important observation. Child labor and sexual abuse are common phenomenon in unorganized job sectors. Voluntary entry to sex trade by ambitious children for easy ‘pocket money’ is also noted.
Results: There are no recognized evidences to know about the extent of HIV problem among children in prostitution but field experiences and media reports strongly suggest increasing frequency of unprotected sexual activities with children, making them extremely vulnerable to HIV and STI transmission as they are much prone to genital/anal injuries during forceful and violent sexual acts by adult partners.
Lessons learnt: Innocence, helplessness, lack of negotiation capability and adventourism of children is being constantly utilized in making hugely profitable business through extreme level of human right violation by a section of sinful people. We, together, must stop them from continuing this dehumanizing act.
Sugata Mukhopadhyay
(This abstract is submitted to the forthcoming ICAAP'10 Conference)
