Dhaka’s Dark Reality: Over 5,000 Girls Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
A shocking new study reveals that children, pushed into brothels or onto the streets due to poverty and deception, face, on average, more than 24 perpetrators every week.
A recent major study published by ‘The Freedom Fund’ and ‘Population Council’ has exposed the appalling scale of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Bangladesh. A report titled “Through Her Eyes” suggests that roughly one in five, or about 22 per cent, of the female sex workers in and around Dhaka reported having experienced this exploitation when they were children.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, or sexual abuse of minors for payment, involves forcing or manipulating a child, usually below the age of 18 years, into some form of sexual activity for payment in either money, food, shelter, or other forms. This is a serious level of child abuse and a heinous crime.
According to the research data, there are an estimated 5,000 girls who live on the streets in Dhaka District and around 700 girls in the division’s brothels who are victims of CSEC. Researchers interviewed 1,245 female sex workers aged 18 to 22, asking them to recall experiences from when they were 17 years old or younger.
The Driving Force The primary catalyst for entering this dark life is the relentless poverty and the desperate struggle for survival. A staggering 80.1 per cent of the women interviewed stated unequivocally that financial necessity and extreme hardship were the main reasons for their first experience of sexual exploitation. Furthermore, systemic factors like child marriage, lack of education, migration from villages to cities in search of work, and falling victim to deception have all played a major role in perpetuating this cycle.
The lives of these children, victims of sexual exploitation in their childhood, were marked by relentless violence and stringent control. More than half of the women (62.4% in brothels and 55.7% on the streets) reported severe consequences for refusing a client. These included physical beatings, sexual assault, psychological abuse, or being deprived of necessities such as food, water, or shelter.
As minors, these girls were subjected to exploitation for an average of 5.4 days a week. The harrowing data shows they faced an average of 24.5 perpetrators weekly. For those in brothels, this number was even higher, averaging 44 perpetrators per week. To cope with this unbearable mental stress or to alleviate the fatigue of excessive work, many were compelled to turn to alcohol and drugs.
The study shows that the list of sexual exploiters includes individuals from various social strata, such as businessmen, bus and truck drivers, transport workers, and salaried employees. Surprisingly, a sizeable section, approximately 71.9 per cent of the offenders involved in brothel-based exploitation were students.
Recently, the “Association for Community Development (ACAD)” organised a community dialogue aimed at strengthening child protection systems through awareness of safety policies and empowering children against violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Collectively, participants reiterated that a coordinated approach by all relevant institutions will provide the most adequate protection to safeguard children against cruelty, oppression, and most importantly, sexual abuse.
In this context, speakers at the dialogue stressed that children are not merely victims of abuse but are also crucial partners in finding solutions. Their active participation, experiences, and insights can significantly enhance the child protection system. Therefore, in addition to providing children with adequate opportunities for learning and growth to support their mental and physical development, emphasis was placed on building partnerships between children and policymakers to ensure their active involvement in decision-making processes.
This report calls urgently to prevent CSEC and requires immediate action to address this horrifying situation. As the researchers point out, such work can be done only by the close cooperation of the government, law enforcement agencies, NGOs, and policymakers. In particular, the state has to strictly apply the law, ensuring rehabilitation and reintegration into society of child victims of sexual exploitation. Moreover, enhanced financial ability of sex workers, including mothers, and poverty reduction may help to prevent their children from falling into the same circle of exploitation.
Source: The Freedom Fund’s Website