Bacha Bazi : The Sexual Exploitation of Afghan Boys from Impoverished Families By DAVID AVERRE

A young Afghan Bacha Bazi is dressed by his 'owner' in a private party on November 22, 2008 in a small city in the north of Afghanistan

Daily Mail : In Afghanistan, young boys and adolescents are adorned in makeup, dressed in brightly coloured women's clothing and sent before groups of powerful men to dance and entertain.

They are victims of Bacha Bazi, an ancient practice that often turns them into sex slaves for the elite.

The barbaric tradition, whose name translates to 'boy play', has persisted for centuries and, while Afghanistan's current Talibanleadership claim to oppose it, Bacha Bazi continues as an open secret.

A UK government report published in November found that boys remain at high risk of commercial sexual exploitation through Bacha Bazi, with the practice thriving under the same warlords and power brokers who have ruled Afghan society for generations.

'Bacha Bazi cases are frequently underreported due to stigma and fear, particularly when perpetrators are police,' the report read.

'Despite the Taliban’s public stance against the practice, reports suggest it remains prevalent and largely unaddressed.'

Survivors who have escaped speak of beatings, rape, and psychological torment, only to be cast out once they grow facial hair and are no longer considered desirable.

Many turn to prostitution, drug addiction, or suicide, unable to escape the trauma they have endured.

Victims often face further violence upon returning home, and the suspension of international aid to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned in 2021 has left them with little access to support or rehabilitation.

All this in a country where homosexuality attracts the death penalty and pederasty is supposedly punishable by long prison sentences.

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