TITLE:
Commercialised Sexual Exploitation of Children, Adolescents and Women: Health and Social Structure in Bangladesh
AUTHORS:
Christopher Bagley, Sadia Kadri, Afroze Shahnaz, Padam Simkhada, Kathleen King
KEYWORDS:
Bangladesh, Women’s Rights, Prostitution, Brothels, Child Sexual Abuse, STIs, Islam
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Applied Sociology,
Vol.7 No.4,
March
31,
2017
ABSTRACT: Background: This research is based on our argument that the commercial sexual exploitation of women and
children (CSEWC) often includes a variety of abuses, sexual, physical,
emotional, and economic. In Bangladesh, “Sex work” is a major industry, and
about two percent of girls and women in the population aged 12 to 30 are
subject to the status of CSEWC. Methods: From a review of literature and
from ethnographic field work, we present an analysis of the sexual abuse of
children, girls and women engaged in “sex work” in Bangladeshi brothels,
addressing as well issues of STIs and HIV infection, in men who use CSEWC. Findings:
Adolescents who are forced to become CSEWC suffer multiple forms of abuse,
which may be life-threatening. Bangladeshi men of all ages and classes use
CSEWC. Rates of HIV/AIDS remain relatively low (but may infect 5 percent in
CSEWC). However, STIs (sexually transmitted infections) affect 50 percent of
CSEWC, and at least 15 percent of men who use them. There is some evidence that
men’s widespread use of CSEWC spreads STIs to their wives, so that rates in
women in the general population are relatively high. The CSEWC themselves
suffer numerous physical and sexual abuses including bondage and trafficking to
India and the Middle East. Police and local officials are involved in the
toleration of this abuse, and about a third of money paid by men for sexual
services passes to corrupt officials. Conclusions: We advocate support
for the growing movement of adult women who campaign against the use of CSEWC,
as a means of ending at least the exploitation of children and adolescents. We
advocate also the development and evaluation of programmes of preventive
education for high school students, as well as the reiteration of the norms of
an Islamic culture which should end the sexual abuse of women and children. We
also advocate the introduction of a basic income which would give women
choices, enabling them to escape the life of CSEWC. Our final recommendation is
for a major programme of research and evaluation of programme innovation which
will describe the extent of, and ways of preventing, the commercial sexual
exploitation of girls and women in Bangladesh.