https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389895012

Child sexual abuse has become a treacherous phenomenon worldwide since the late 1980s. Bangladesh also suffers with to it. From 2005, the rate of child sexual abuse has drastically increased, affecting the whole country. At the same time, the percentage of mothers in full-time work has also increased with the increasing level of women’s education. This paper considers whether there could be a relationship between these two trends. To explore this relationship, the experiences of mothers have been reviewed, from informal and formal sources. This is an empirical study which has been conducted in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The focus is on the working pattern of child victims’ mothers. Data has also been collected about the socioeconomic conditions of the victims’ families and the effects of abuse on the victims and their families. The target age group was 2-10 years, as this has proven to be the most common age group for abuse in Bangladesh. The total sample size was 50 victims and their families. Key Informant Interviews (KII) and in depth interviews with victims’ mothers have been the main techniques of qualitative data collection. The most important finding of this research is that the rate of child sexual abuse is inversely proportional to family income, largely because the mother needs to work and thus cannot always personally secure her child. Awareness of children and parents about the dangers of sexual abuse and how to prevent it should be developed from early childhood, both by the families and the schools.