Living in denial: How society ignores the sexual abuse of young boys

In the middle of making her first short film ‘The Candy Man’, which deals with child sexual abuse, Insia Dariwala decided to change the protagonist from a young girl to a boy.

“My journey has always been to produce work which uncovers aspects of society that people may not be aware of; these may be social issues, certain diseases or human drama and relationships,” Dariwala, a film-maker and social activist, told IndiaSpend.

Child sexual abuse is a topic rarely discussed among conservative Indian society, and male child sexual abuse is an even more taboo issue.

As many as 53% children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, according to a 2007 survey by the ministry of women and child development of 12,447 children. In nine out of the 13 states surveyed, a higher percentage of sexual abuse was reported among boys than girls.

While the rape of women and girl children in India has made headlines around the world, dominated the national conversation and led to the introduction of harsher penalties and the death penalty for child rape, the reality of men as rape victims and other forms of sexual abuse has not shared the same spotlight.