Sexual Exploitation of Boys in Times of Crisis: What can we learn from existing research, and what is still unknown
Date
2020
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Publisher
United Nations Children’s Fund
Abstract
To strengthen the existing evidence base, this
literature review examines: (1) the magnitude,
causes, risk factors and consequences of the
sexual exploitation of boys and (2) ethical and
methodological challenges that pervade research on
this topic. Eligible studies included quantitative and
qualitative research published in English from 1999
to March 2020. As discussed in later sections, a wide
range of terms are used by researchers to describe
the sexual exploitation of boys, complicating the
process of conducting a comprehensive literature
review. Given challenges regarding terminology,
multiple search terms were used, including sexual
exploitation, commercial sexual exploitation and
sex trafficking. Studies focusing exclusively on
male minors were prioritized. However, due to the
paucity of research, the report includes studies
involving youth more broadly and/or that speak to
the experiences of male victims, which sometimes
included those over the age of 18. The review does
not claim to synthesize all of the available literature
on this complex topic, but rather to highlight key
issues that should be considered when conducting
research on the sexual exploitation of boys.
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Keywords
literature review, male victims, International Resources, exploitation
Citation
United Nations Children’s Fund, (2020).Research on the Sexual Exploitation of Boys: Findings, ethical considerations and methodological challenges, UNICEF, New York,