Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Children in South East Asia: A Review of the Literature

Background and Purpose. The existing data on child sex trafficking, commonly known as commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), though not much reliable, appear to indicate a growing prevalence of this problem in both developed and developing countries. Substantial research on CSEC has been conducted in Southeast Asia, a region consisting of 11 countries. Yet, knowledge about the prevalence and characteristics of CSEC and the overall quality of studies on CSEC conducted in the region is limited. In this paper, the authors aim to systematically examine the extant literature, so as to discuss the quality of research conducted on CSEC and distinctive aspects of the problem in the Southeast region. To achieve this goal, the following four research questions will be addressed: (a) What are the characteristics of the reviewed literature? (b) What forms of CSEC and related issues are prevalent in the countries in Southeast Asia? (c) What is the quality of the research done about CSEC in Southeast Asia? and (d) What are the distinctive aspects of CSEC in Southeast Asia?

 

Methods. A systematic online search on various academic databases, based on five criteria, was done to find and select publications for the present review. As a result, 62 studies including 31 peer-reviewed articles, 23 research reports, one dissertation, and seven book chapters were selected out of 152 publications initially identified. The review consists of four major parts: (a) an analysis of the selected literature regarding the type of publication; (b) an analysis of the forms of CSEC and related issues in Southeast Asia; (c) an analysis of the quality of the research on CSEC conducted in Southeast Asia regarding the methodology appropriateness; and (d) a discussion of particular features of CSEC in the region.

Results. First, the selected literature was examined by study type, CSEC type, and study setting. Second, four types of CSEC identified and related issues were discussed. Third, the overall quality of the literature was examined based on the three categories of indicators (basic, methods, and data) in Ennew’s (2008) child-centered research framework. Lastly, distinctive characteristics of CSEC in Southeast Asia were identified and discussed, including issues of (a) gender bias, (b) risk factors, (c) key informants in research, (d) demand and supply, (e) health, (f) emerging type of CSEC, and (g) culture.

Conclusion and Implications. The review has shown that substantial studies were done on CSEC in Southeast Asia. There are more studies using qualitative methods than quantitative and mixed methods. There are less empirical research on CSEC than non-empirical studies. The review shows that most publications on CSEC in the Southeast Asia tended to define and explore the issue based on theoretical frameworks from the Global North. Many studies hardly examined social, economic and cultural environment factors that could shed light on the pervasive problem of CSEC in some countries in the region. Most studies primarily relied on key informants for data on the situation of child victims of CSEC. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.