Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Monday, September 11, 2000
Two U.N. studies set for release this week find that sexual abuse of children is one of the most hidden and underreported forms of sexual violence in Asia.
Child victims of rape, incest, trafficking, prostitution and pornography face grave physical and psychological health conditions, said a statement from the Bangkok-based U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The agency conducted the studies in the Greater Mekong Subregion - Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China's southern Yunnan province - and South Asia, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The majority of victims of sexual abuse were girls ages 6-12 in the Greater Mekong Subregion and 10-15 years old in South Asia. Researchers even found 4-year-old girls who had been abused, said Kim Hak-Su, ESCAP executive secretary.
The report said brothel conditions in many countries are squalid, with some children forced to serve up to 10 customers per day. They are vulnerable to physical abuse from customers and brothel owners and at high risk of infection with HIV/AIDS.
Children in such conditions face serious psychological problems, including anxiety, depression, fear and guilt, the studies said. But few attempts are being made to provide them with the psychological support they need to overcome the trauma.
Legislation against sexual abuse and exploitation exists in all countries studied, but more efforts are needed to enforce it, the reports said.
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