Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Trafficking

Poverty , Negligence , traditional thinking  which results in culture of silence and abuse environment, in the education institution  and blind faith based on cultural norms and practices  are contributing factors in increasing phenomenon in commercial sexual exploitation of children. This phenomenon in commercial sexual exploitation of children. This phenomenon increasing in all over the province rapidly, but is more visible in Quetta  - the provincial capital and on verge of extreme height in Gwadar  - a coastal district of Balochistan. 

SEHER’s first study of Quetta City in which city is divided in nineteen clusters revealed an astonishing fact that boys were more prone to becoming sexually abused than girls in this particular societal set up. These incidents took place in the vicinities of Cinema centres, video game centres and shops and small hotels. These boys forced to work are then lured into commercial sexual activities for easy money and other charms or are blackmailed into it .

While SEHER’s second study on sexual exploitation of children in Gawadar , level and effect of sexual abuse and exploitation in coal mines of Balochistan  and most recent assessment of quantum and intensity of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Quetta city  revealed that the situation is very gloomy, children’s situation is very miserable, perpetrators are roaming every where without any fear or shame, parents and other primary care givers are ignorant, sex business is at boom, pimps are very openly supplying children to their clients, number of spots are from each spots hundreds of children move and go with their clients, there are some houses also from where not only children are being supplied to the clients, but clients also visit these houses/places to get sexual satisfaction, which can be called brothel houses.

One of the shocking aspect of these all is wide range of “Acceptance” in terms of indifferences from the issue, like out of 17 spots one of the spots is not only in the heart of the city, but in the most famous and busy shopping plaza, According to the analysis around 20000 to 25000 people visit this place every day, while those who pass from the surrounding (from surrounding the third floor quite exposed) where the spot is and, every body can easily see children moving here and there and perpetrators suspicious movements) is in million, but none of them never made it point.

One can give benefit of doubt to those who either visits the plaza for shopping or other purpose or to those who passes through and in the surroundings that the many not have noticed it (although it is very difficult or accept out of millions, a single person has never noticed it) but hundreds of shopkeepers, who daily observes this inhuman act but never made it point. This attitude is not only contributing in flourishing of the cruel act but it is also multiplying and heading to another areas of seasonal sex workers. 

From May to August, seasonal sex workers visit Quetta. Around 80 to 150 seasonal sex workers per year land in Quetta. They are from different parts of Pakistan particularly from Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Over half of them are above 18 years, but around half, who accompany the above 18 are young boys. They come in groups of 4-5, consisting of above 18 and young boys, those who are above 18 play dual role, on one hand they act as pimp for the young boys, while where possible they also provide sexual satisfaction to some specific clients.

Most of the seasonal sex workers children stay in three hotels of Quetta city from where either they move with the clients or serve them within the hotels. Interestingly, their rates are far more higher than the local sex working children due to their physical appearance and way of presentation.

Unfortunately, commercial sexual exploitation of children the worst form of child abuse has not yet been identified as an issue in Balochistan. The threats of violence, abuse, negligence, exploitation and discrimination constantly lurk throughout the life cycle of children. But our societies in general and families in particular are in acute state of negligence and silence in the face of these major obstacles to survival, protection, growth, development and participation of the children. This culture of silence and negligence has already entailed numerous problems and has further intensified child vulnerability.

The challenge today is not only to change the way these issues are perceived and ensured timely actions, but also to break this heinous culture of silence and negligence. We have to take the issue more seriously and much more openly, in the meetings, forums, assemblies and the parliament. This is the issue that asks for most immediate and collective actions.  

Establishment of Child Protection Centres:
Protection mechanism is indispensable for provision of safe environment for children to exhibit and utilize their potential to a maximum level. In this regard, Child Protection Centres in Quetta and Gawadar have been established for the CSEC with the opportunity to get basic knowledge of their rights and properly exercise them, could minimise their time on street and maximize it in the center, learn some skill to have alternative means of livelihood and learn various life skill based education to become a productive citizen. Status of children enrolled in the centre is given bellow:  The aim was also to bring children to a central place where they could continue to put their share in:

SEHER has two fold strategy for children involved in commercial sex those who are successive doing sex (every day with multiple partners) are de-linked from those who do it occasionally. SEHER is having regular meeting, educational seasons, involvement in the events and recreational activities with children who are SCEC but do it occasionally. While CSEC children who are excessively involved are prioritized 50 children who are excessively involved in sex and enrol them in the child protection centre for their rehabilitation purpose. In this regard following activities are done with the CSEC in both Quetta and Gwadar child protection centres.

Education:
Apart from the specified syllabus, knowledge about child rights and the role of children in nation building have been focused in the educational activities of the CPC. Concepts of the child protection and its components have also been incorporated in the education program. 50 children have been attending and benefiting from the program activities.

Life Skill Based Education:
Children involved in Sex Trade/Commercial Sexual Exploitation, gets hyper and sexually very active, irrespective of their age, which shapes very unusual and misbehaving attitude in them, they use abusive language, fights with each others and keep the moral values very light. Life Based Skill Education has been used to bring improvement in their behaviour and character building. LSBE was much more focused on coping with emotion/stress, self awareness and interpersonal relationships.

All together 380 (out of 400 register children) children, went through the course of LSBE training, while 50 attended all the 14 trainings of LSBE very enthusiastically. The Program brought a visible change in the attitude of Children involved in Sex Trade/Commercial Sexual Exploitation. The incidences of fighting with one another reduced to minimal. They started taking care of centre’s cleanliness, gave up/minimized abusive language, punctuality and regularity are improved.

180 children have been re-enrolled in formal schools and their regularities are checked by follow up visits of the team.

Computer Literacy:
Video gaming zones are the central points of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Children having craze of computer games are easily trapped by the perpetrators by offers of free tokens. Keeping this inclination of children computer lab has been established in centre that offers to children basic knowledge of computing, in addition to some educational and joyful computer games. The providence of computer facility has, to a very great extent, reduced the visits of children in video gaming zones.

English Language Classes:
English Language Classes are playing very positive role in the rehabilitation of CSEC, they take very much inter in learning English language, even on their demand English language classes are started. Some of the children have really learned much English language and now they can communicate in English with others

Generating Alternative means of Earning:
One of the most challenging aspects of the rehabilitation of children involved in sexual activities is their pattern of earning. The existing pattern gives them opportunity to earn more, which in return make their rehabilitation difficult. But yet three is dire need that along with psyco-counseling and education they should be provided some skills, so they could use it as alternative means of earning. In this regard up till now the following efforts are being made:

Skill Development:

The children involved in commercial sexual exploitation are used to earning and spending huge sums of soft-money. In the provided condition motivation may not be adequate enough to bring the desired change in the children. It was found imperative to create alternative means of earnings for the children. For this purpose skill development program was initiated that offered basic trainings in the following skills, such as tailoring, Mobile repairing, Computer Hardware, Repairing of electric home accessories, Electricity, Plumbing, Calligraphy, Paper Machee, Fancy candle making

Income Generation Activities:
SEHER extends its support for development of small entrepreneurships of children who skilfully accomplished their trainings. SEHER does not make direct financial support nor give micro-credit, but give matching grants. Because in direct financial support the beneficiaries usually do not value their capital amount and mostly results in squandering of money purposelessly. While in case of micro-credit the surplus earning is returned to implementing organization in terms of interest. However, for matching grants one has to make savings in order to receive matching amounts. The saving and investment develop an acute sense of ownership in beneficiaries. This also builds their capacity to save, watchfully spend their capital and value their money. Thus, the system guarantees sustainability of entrepreneurships. Supplementing the skill with financial support through saving and matching grant is the way to lead these children towards alternative means of earning. In this regard SEHER has provided financial support to children, who learnt any skill and/or those who wanted to give up the job of sex worker and start their self employment. In this regard the following efforts are made.

Recreational Activities:
Children involved in commercial sex lose their normal childhood in a very early age of childhood. Keeping alive the childhood in the children is one of the key components of the CRC, which can only be ensured by providence of recreational opportunities to the children. Giving this virtual need of children due consideration and high priority SEHER initiated recreational activities that include both indoor and outdoor games such as Cricket, Football, Scrabble, Sega Game, Ludo, Karamboard

In addition, other recreational activities such as drawing, Posters, skits, songs, dance and poetry have been carried out to provide children with an immense opportunity to get their lost childhood back. Children received training from the qualified teachers and demonstrated their potentials through their artwork through out the year. Their artworks have been preserved and exhibited in various events, which provide the children an opportunity to further improve their potential talents.

Health and Hygiene:
Health and Hygiene is required for children, who are from normal life, it becomes high priority for children involved in commercial sex. In this regard SEHER had made the following efforts.

Detoxification:
The street children particularly involved in child sexual abuse (CSA), commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and other related forms of exploitation faced major health problems bearing to the fact that street children were addicted of various drug abuse like hemp extract (hashish), Samad bond, alcohol, smoking and snuff etc.

SEHER’s physician treated many CSEC children involved in various sort of drug abuse. They were provided free medicine and kept in long process of detoxification. Ultimately, a number of (7) children were detoxified. 

Medical Aid:
The street children face serious health problems due to unhygienic food and unsafe sexual practices, which most of the times result in infection of fatal diseases like HIV/AIDS. Therefore, the children involved in commercial sex had to put under constant medical checkups and health care. Free medical facility was provided at both the centers of Quetta and Gawadar on regular basis, while the complex and serious cases are referred to the public and private hospitals. 

Referral:
Children involved in the commercial sex are exposed to variety of diseases, those who were having serious illness were referred to those hospital, which were sensitized by the SHER teams to extend their support to such children. SEHER had not only formed Doctor’s Penal but also developed partnership with Government Civil Hospital and Jalani Private Hospital.

Nutritious supplements:
Normally it is assumed that children involved in Sex Trade/Commercial Sexual Exploitation earn adequately. Therefore their needs for nutritious supplements are overlooked for the reasons that they may afford to eat quality food. The reality is utterly contrary to this assumption. They often remain without food for 12 to 16 hours and even if they eat their diet is imbalance. The irregular and imbalance diet ultimately result in malnourishment of the children.

SEHER addressed this primary need of the children involved in commercial sex street children by providence of supplementary nutritious supplements in both Quetta and Gwadar Centres. The food supplements included milk, eggs, juices, bread, tea and fruit on daily basis and chocolate, ice cream and pachorra on weekly basis. (Please see annexure # 3 for details)

Recovery and Rehabilitation
The children experience variety of violence from perpetrators. Emotional treatment and psycho therapy was very essential for prevention from long lasting effects of the bitter experience on his/ her personality. While safe and protected rehabilitation was also as much essential as the recovery in terms of provision of emotional treatment and psycho therapy.

Psychological Counselling Sessions:
The street children came with varying backgrounds and different pessimistic thoughts carry street children towards different psychological problems. These psychological problems create deviant and revenging thoughts. Most of the street children belong to socially effected families and suffer from different psychological problems, as depression, tension, anxiety, low self esteem, phobias, and nightmares etc. They need to be cured properly. Quite often these thoughts get supplemented with behaviours of perpetrators that continue to harass/abuse in the unsafe places.

The objective behind provision of psychotherapeutic services was to prevent revenging and deviant thoughts among the street children and help them in correcting their course in life. Provision of psychotherapeutic services was the source of mental relief for this vulnerable group.

The experienced psychologist through individual and group sessions tried to heal the psychological wounds of the children. In the sessions their collective and individual problems were discussed and possible solutions were found. The sessions also focussed on mental relaxation, bad effects of conflicts, curbing anger and manipulating irritation.

Through the course of time the children demonstrated visible attitudinal changes. They became used to with educational environment of centre and some of them exhibited their extraordinary performances.

Reunification of SC with their families:

SEHER outreach workers visited the focused areas on daily basis in order to find out contacts of the street children and make efforts to reunify the children with their families. Moreover, the parents and the primary caregivers of the children were sensitized about CRC, CSA and CSEC.  In this regard following awareness session are done with CSEC and their parent/Primary care givers

Provision of Legal Aid:
The dream of a charming life in Europeans countries takes many children in taking highly risky step of illegal crossing of territorial borders. And, Balochistan sharing borders with multiple countries is used as a gateway for getting to Europe.  In most of the cases the children are arrested and put behind the bars. Lack of knowledge of the legal procedure and money doubles their misery manifold. Keeping this segment of children in view SEHER has initiated a program that provides free legal aid to these children. In this regard hundred of children are provided Legal Aid and Legal Advise and thousands are educated on legal education.

Children involved in commercial sex are on street in the night many time police arrest them in vagrancy act on the other hand some such children illegally travel to other country through taftan boarder are arrested by FiA lands in the FIA detention center and/or jail under foreign act needs legal support . Apart from CSEC children in bulk afghani children gets arrested on Taftan border under foreigner act and SEHER extends its support to such children. The following table may show the picture in more proper way.

Developing Collective Strength and Support Mechanism

Formation and strengthening of Child Association:
Through a participatory process child association are established, both in Quetta and Gwadar. Establishment of child association had dual purpose. On one hand it was prerequisite for the collective strength of the vulnerable children so their withdrawal from sex trade could be ensure, while on the other hand under the article number …..CRC it is right of the children to have their association. Altogether 20 child association (10 each in Quetta and Gwadar) are established and their capacity is built to demonstrate their collective strength. Apart from regular awareness and capacity building activities, following specific and formal training are imparted to the child Association so they could act as an independent organization. (See Details)

Child Association performed as protectors of the member children. It is long way to see these child Associations to be able to reach all those children who are involved in commercial sex. Even play their role as defender of the children who are being abused, exploited and/or pushed in to commercial sex and trafficking:

Formation and strengthening of Parents, community committees:
Regular awareness and orientation sessions with parents and communities for combating child abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children culminated on formation and strengthening of parents community committees in different areas of the city.

Altogether 14 parents community committees (8 in Quetta and 6 in Gwadar) are formed and they are provided various child protection related trainings so they could play a support mechanism for child associations in particular and play their role in child protection efforts in general. Apart from monthly meetings, informal discussions, following formal and specific trainings are provided to the PCCs.

Developing Data Base for assessing stages of rehabilitation:
There was a dire need to have track of all necessarily required information of the street children enrolled in the center and make scientific and systematic assessment of their rehabilitation. A database has been developed that keep records of the street children in various stages rehabilitation.

Establishment of Resource Cente:r
Resource Center has been established in the organization to provide various information on Child protection Issues. The Resource Center have the following material:

Sensitization of Key stakeholders:
Children are exposed to variety of exploitation, but the worst aspect of the issue is that those who are supposed to be support mechanism for the exploited child are unconsciously strengthening the perpetrators through ignorance of the issue.

It is, of course, impossible for an organization to battle this front of child protection single-handedly without the cooperation of people and civil society organizations. In order to have far-reaching impact the circle of activities were broadened by involving the people relating to the lives of children.

Accordingly, orientation sessions, presentations, seminars and workshops highlighting CRC, CSA and CSEC were conducted for the Law enforcement agencies, Union counsellors,  trade union, teacher association, clerk associations, lawyers forum, doctors, fishermen union, social welfare department, ministry of law, justice and human rights and all other stakeholders. A part from one to one mobilization and informal meetings, following formal sessions/orientation were held: