Male prostitution thriving in Karachi, Pakistan
Satish Kumar
For Karachi male prostitutes “it’s all about eye contact and the rest
is understood”
ANI
Karachi, Apr.27 (ANI): Pakistan’s financial capital, Karachi’s Empress
Market is fast becoming a hub for male prostitution.
One can find dozens of male ‘prostitutes’, who mainly are in the age
group of 15 to 25 years, waiting for customers in this busy market
place, but not everyone can identify these men selling ‘unnatural’
sex.
By the way in which these men communicate with their potential
customers, one could hardly make out as to what they are upto.
Explaining the art of identifying a likely customer, a male
prostitute, who didn’t disclose his name said ‘it’s all about making
an eye contact.’
“It’s all about eye contact and the rest is understood,” The Daily
Times quoted him, as saying.
When asked how he ended up in this filthy profession, he said he was
molested by his school teacher at a very young age, which changed his
whole life.
“I was molested by my schoolteacher when I was only 11. It was one of
the worst experiences of my life. But gradually I started enjoying
it,” he said.
He said that while some men or ‘boys’ are in this trade for money,
some work as male prostitutes only for enjoyment.
“Some do it just for fun and don’t accept money,” he said.
“Policemen or guards force us into sex without payment, but rarely, as
we avoid going to places where they could be present,” he added. (ANI)
13-1-2009
Male prostitution, a hidden shame: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no
evil
By Fawad Ali Shah
KARACHI: Male prostitution remains a taboo in our cultural setup and
it is as well hidden in our society as are the problems that are
caused by it.
Despite the fact that the phenomenon is increasing by the minute, no
government body or NGO has conducted a survey to find out exactly how
many men are in this business.
People are also as blissfully ignorant of the diseases that male
prostitution contributes to the city.
The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC)
Regional Promotion Manager Salam Dharejo, told Daily Times that
although there are many organisations working in the city for the
protection of children and women’s rights, no one has ever dared to
address the issue of male prostitution because of the strong social
taboo attached to it.
However, he said that there was a need for the collection of the exact
numbers of males in the prostitution business as well as their
customers to spread awareness about the diseases that sprout from the
phenomenon. “There are almost 30,000 street children in the country,
who are usually the victims of sexual abuse, as time progresses these
children are so used to being exploited that they decide to use the
exploitation to earn quick money,” he added. Male-prostitutes are
without a doubt spreading many diseases however, no one cares about
it, as the issue for most people is non-existent, Dharejo adds.
There are many organisations such as War against Rape (WAR), Hamdard
and Green Star health centres that are working across the city for
many sex-related causes but none of them have bothered to think
outside the box and address the issue.
Ironically, even the health department of the province also has no
data or records related to male prostitution. The health department
officials claim that the department has never been asked by the higher
authorities to work on the issue and that is the only excuse they have
to offer.
While most the city remains shut to the idea of male prostitution,
many young men have become its victims. One such boy is Riaz Khan, 19.
He is often seen standing at the footpath between the boundary of
Jahangir Park and Dr Daudpota road, looking for customers. On a usual
day in the business, the roads are jammed and the nearby shops are
packed with clients. On Khan’s left, a barber works, unaware of his
surroundings and on his right many other teenage boys are lined up,
waiting for customers.
“I started this business when I was 11,” says the clean-shaved boy,
wearing black clothes with embroidery on the front. He has a womanish
touch to his voice. His hands are running through his hair. After
completing his sentence, he winks.
Riaz is one the hundreds of teenagers who provide sexual satisfaction
to homosexuals. Nowadays, Jahangir Park is where all the action goes
down and it can also be referred to as the central point of their
business. Most of the teenaged male prostitutes start their business
in the afternoon and the dealing reaches its peak in the evening.
This scribe observed the activities of these male prostitutes for four
days at Jahangir Park. Their customers, pederast, are from all parts
of the society. You can see people coming, dealing and picking these
‘chokras’ in cars as well as in rickshaws. Although to people they are
simply male prostitutes but all of them have reasons for joining the
profession.
Riaz did not join the profession by his own free will. When he was in
class three, he was a victim of the sexual thirst of one of his
neighbours. “He took me to his house by offering me a parrot that he
had and once there he sexually abused me,” the youngster says,
wrinkling his forehead while he takes a puff of opium ‘to lessen his
tension’. “I did not know what he was going to do,” he says in a
childish voice. Though he was not given the parrot but he got Rs 1 for
toffees. The man, who was a taxi driver by profession, then started
sexually harassing him on a regular basis and whenever he opposed the
driver, he threatened him. “He told me that if I disobeyed him he will
tell my father about what happened, who in turn will kill me,” says
the boy, but ironically he starts laughing as he lets out a stream of
smoke.
The taxi-driver, a married man, also made him popular with his
accomplices. “Every time they used me, I got Rs 10 to 20 as a reward,”
the fair-skinned boy revealed. At the age of 13, he was addicted to
homosexuality. Consequently, an innocent schoolboy had turned into a
male prostitute. He was beautiful and people started hiring his
services for the whole night since then he knew what his price was. He
could not pass a day without having sex with some male.
At the age of 17, his parents threw him out of house as soon as they
found out about his addiction. He took shelter with a male pimp. He
was happy with the knowledge that he is not only getting sexual
satisfaction but also money for it. Going back home was never an
option but now he will not do so even if given the choice.
“I am satisfied with my present profession,” the youngster adds. He is
not ashamed of what he does and is perfectly comfortable with the
thought of working as a male prostitute in the long run.
All the male prostitutes at Jahangir Park mostly wear skin-tight
shirts and pants. They are clean-shaven and all of them have a
feminine touch to their voices and actions.
One can find any kind of male prostitute in the area depending on the
choice. Their prices range from Rs 50 to 1000, depending on their age
and skin colour. The male-prostitutes mostly belong to the
underdeveloped areas of Karachi like Banaras, Metroville and Ittehad
Colony.
The customers can be as young as 23 years of age or as old as 65. Half
of the customers, Riaz claims are married. Most these youngsters are
kicked out by their parents and share quarters with each other or are
living with pimps. They provide services at night. “Before going off
with a customer, we inject opium which heightens our instincts and the
pleasure,” claims Riaz, with a smile just turning the corners of his
mouth. Meanwhile a person winks to Riaz and he walks towards him.
Psychologists opine that having homosexual sex with males is
addictive. “After boys are abused a few times they get addicted to
it,” says Sultan Jabbar, a psychologist, who is doing a research on
gays for the last ten years.
“They are first bribed or threatened to do the job,” he says,
“however, at the end of the day they end up being commercially
involved in the sex provision.” He says that those addicted to having
sex with children do not stop even after they get married.
“It is all about the addiction,” he adds with remorse, once they get
addicted, they continue using children till the end of their lives.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C01%5C13%5Cstory_13-1-2009_pg12_9