Bacha Bazi: Boys dressed as ladies, forced to dance, and abused in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, the brutal custom of Bacha Bazi—the sexual exploitation of younger boys—continues to thrive regardless of official bans and worldwide condemnation. Footage, shared by British journalist and author David Patrikarakos on social media, confirmed boys forced to dance for the Taliban, a harrowing precursor to systematic abuse. This centuries-old follow, deeply ingrained in Afghan society, has lengthy been linked to navy commanders, politicians, and native elites.
Strangely, the supreme Taliban leaders are towards the Bacha Bazi follow however it’s nonetheless being secretly practised by the navy commanders, exhibiting the loopholes in their guidelines framing, Daily Mail reported.
After the Taliban took management of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, they tried to curb this follow however made no efforts to truly cease it as secretly however nonetheless the navy commanders adopted it.
Even lately the US state division report has highlighted the systematic recruitment of boys for sexual slavery, with Afghan safety forces among the many perpetrators.
The horror of boy slaves will not be confined to Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province close to the Afghan border, younger boys trying to find work typically fall prey to comparable abuse. Many are lured by guarantees of employment however are as an alternative trafficked and exploited by highly effective males, together with truck drivers and native elites. According to reviews, these boys, typically from impoverished households, develop into trapped in cycles of abuse with little hope of escape. The cultural silence surrounding their struggling mirrors the impunity with which Bacha Bazi operates in Afghanistan.
The trauma suffered by victims extends past abuse. Many flip to medication to cope, whereas others are solid out as soon as they age out of exploitation. Survivors have recounted extreme bodily accidents and psychological scars, with few avenues for justice in a society the place the perpetrators are sometimes essentially the most highly effective.
The West, regardless of its decades-long involvement in Afghanistan, failed to dismantle this horrific follow. During the US occupation, American troopers reported listening to Afghan law enforcement officials sexually abusing boys on navy bases, but had been ordered to flip a blind eye, as it was thought-about “their culture.”
With Afghanistan now underneath Taliban rule, Bacha Bazi stays rampant, exacerbated by excessive gender segregation and the growing oppression of girls. Supreme chief Hibatullah Akhundzada, an ultra-conservative determine with little regard for human rights, has enforced strict ethical legal guidelines whereas failing to eradicate this abuse. His extremist insurance policies have led to deep divisions throughout the Taliban’s management, but his grip on energy stays agency—an assertion additionally reported by Daily Mail.
The West might have withdrawn from Afghanistan, however its failure to shield the nation’s most susceptible lingers. The deserted victims of Bacha Bazi —boys robbed of their childhood and dignity—serve as a grim testomony to a battle that ended, however left behind an everlasting legacy of struggling, not simply in Afghanistan but additionally in Pakistan, the place comparable atrocities proceed in the shadows.