Afghanistan’s Darkest Secret: Bacha Bazi (BOY PLAY)
Bacha Bazi, or “boy play,” is an Afghan tradition in which boys as young as nine years old are compelled to dress up as ladies and dance seductively in front of an audience of older males. These young boys are usually owned by wealthy clientele and are frequently abused and sexually assaulted. Bacha Bazi was a prevalent practice in Afghanistan, especially in rural areas. Before the Taliban regime abolished it in the 1990s, it had been practiced for hundreds of years. The practice resurfaced after US forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001, and while efforts to eradicate it have been undertaken in later years, they have been generally failed due to government corruption and the US’s unwillingness to intervene in domestic Afghan affairs. The Afghan government eventually made the decision to criminalize bacha bazi in January 2017, and is now taking steps to prevent abuse and protect victims, with mixed results so far.
Bacha Bazi can be traced back to ancient Central Asian societies. However, it was not until the nineteenth century that the technique took on its contemporary shape. It usually involves affluent Afghans, usually Pashtuns, who buy young men or boys for sexual enjoyment and exploitation. In many places of Afghanistan, women are forbidden from working as dancers or performers, and young boys are used instead. These boys came from a poor backgrounds,that’s why their parents hand over them for financial problem. Boys are generally between ten to eighteen years old and they are known as a “bacha bareish” means “beardless boys”. The young guys ostensibly work as dancers at private events, but many are forced into sexual relationships with their bosses. Boys who refuse to comply are frequently raped and, in some cases, murdered if they manage to flee. The boys are also deprived of schooling, which has a negative impact on their future chances when they are eventually dumped when they are too old. Internal hemorrhaging, protrusion of the intestines, throat injuries, extensive internal bleeding, broken limbs, fractures, broken teeth, strangulation, and death are common injuries, according to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). The AIHRC found that 81 percent of victims desire to leave the so-called “profession,” which is rife with abuse. The Taliban made bacha Bazi illegal during the Afghan civil war because it was considered un-Islamic and incompatible with Sharia law. The practice was punishable by death from 1993 until the US invasion of 2001.
While the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 improved the chances of some oppressed Afghan groups, such as women, it actually increased the frequency of bacha bazi. Due to the power vacuum left by the conflict, the Taliban’s draconian sanctions for people convicted of participating in the practice were no longer implemented. Despite the fact that child abuse was still prohibited, the practice of bacha bazi did not, providing cover for sexual assault. Complicity by the government in the practice immediately became a concern. Many high-ranking officials are said to indulge in bacha bazi, yet their colleagues rarely prosecute them. According to a 2014 report by the AIHRC, most people who engage in bacha bazi pay bribes to law enforcement, prosecutors, or judges, or have contacts with them, thus exempting them from punishment.
The American military in Afghanistan’s spokesman defended the strategy, claiming that “allegations of child sexual abuse…would be a matter of internal Afghan criminal law.
In recent years, international condemnation of the lack of action on bacha bazi has grown. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the un special representative for children and armed conflict, said the united nations general assembly in 2014 that “laws should be written, campaigns fought, and abusers held accountable and punished.”
in a recent report, us special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR) slammed afghan government officials for their direct participation in “the sexual abuse and recruiting of children by Afghan security forces.”
however, it is widely acknowledged that the situation is not improving. This year, Suraya Subhrang, the AIHRC’s child rights commissioner, remarked that “Previously, bacha bazi was only seen in certain locations, but now it can be found everywhere. Takhar [province] and the rest of the north are experiencing this “.
Despite President Ashraf Ghani’s June 2016 commitment to organize a “thorough inquiry and prompt action” over bacha bazi misuse by military personnel, these abuses continue. Criminalization would be a welcome step if it occurred, but experts contend that it would not be adequate in and of itself because the government lacks the power to implement the practice’s criminalization. Professor Jasteena Dhillon, an Afghanistan expert, has suggested that transformation can only be achieved through a cultural shift, which will necessitate in-person meetings.
Bacha bazi is an under-reported human rights issue in Afghanistan that is wreaking havoc on the country’s most vulnerable children. The US and Afghan governments’ failure to intervene is a black mark on their records as they try to rebuild a more free and secure country after the conflict. While both governments’ rhetoric indicates a greater commitment to solving the problem, To safeguard Afghanistan’s young boys from further torture, immediate action is required.
References
Somade, J. E. (2017, August 18). Bacha Bazi: Afghanistan’s darkest secret. Retrieved from https://humanrights.brightblue.org.uk: https://humanrights.brightblue.org.uk/blog-1/2017/8/18/bacha-bazi-afghanistans-darkest-secret
