Sexual Exploitation of Boys in Times of Crisis: What can we learn from existing research, and what is still unknown

Date

2020

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

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.

Description

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,

DOI