Content area
Full Text
Research performed in Southeast Asia with those working in the sex industry or those suffering from sexual exploitation have most often focused on girls and young women. This study focuses on the young men working in the male-to-male sex industry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It serves as an initial exploration of some the vulnerabilities and potential resiliencies of these young men from their own perspective in order to better understand them. Surveys were conducted with 45 young men from six male-to-male massage parlors. Vulnerabilities were assessed including financial security, sexual history and health, violence and potential resilience, including faith and future plans. This information was collected to determine needs these young men may have and provide initial data as a basis for future research.
Key Words: Young men; sexual exploitation; sexual abuse; Cambodia; Southeast Asia; Non Government Organizations
THIS STUDY IS ONE OF THE FEW ATTEMPTS OF ANY RESEARCH TO TRY TO understand the situation for young males in the sex industry in Cambodia. Massage parlors for men are the most visible places that young men are involved in commercial sexual exploitation and most accessible to research, but a recent surge in night-clubs, gay bars and internet chat rooms where young Cambodian men can be "picked up" for paid sex indicate that massage places may be only the "tip of the iceberg." Many Christian organizations have been actively working with sexually exploited girls (50 faith-based abolitionist partners are part of the Chab Dai network (www.chabdai.org)) and many describe their work as working with 'children' suggesting both genders, but only four partners are doing anything to specifically address the issue of young males involved in the sexual exploitation trade. Some organizations that are working with street children have become aware that some boys are sexually exploited but have not considered how to address it.
Prior to this study, no Christian organizations appeared to acknowledge that male-to-male "massage" existed in Cambodia, despite open advertising to tourists. Programming of secular organizations appears to see sexually exploited males only as vectors of HIV As Christians we have a responsibility to provide holistic care to this population in a Hindu-Buddhist context where they are looked down on by many who believe them to have no value or hope.