What is happening in Afghanistan?

During the break I came across an hour long documentary called “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan.”

The documentary starts with a man looking for a young teenage boy in a children park, “he must be attractive” he says, “and must be able to dance” he adds. He is looking for bachabazes, which literally translates to “boy play”.

In Afghanistan, a country where women are strictly hidden behind their burkas, young boys replace women of the show business. They tell boys to wear girl clothes and make them dance in front of many men. Men find pleasure in watching young male teenagers dance. The man I was talking about was the panderer, he dresses them up in belly dancer clothes and presents them during gatherings for people to enjoy a show. Nonetheless their performance is not limited to dancing, in most of the cases they are also trapped in sexual slavery.

In Afghanistan, of course human trafficking and child abuse, thus this dancing boy culture is forbidden by law. Moreover, the legal age for sexual consent is 18 for male.

However, the hustler asks first for the permission of parents before taking away the kids to train them to dance. In exchange of this authorization parents receive financial help. Panderers especially look for really poor boys with nothing to lose in life so their family would be willing to give their child away as a bachabaze. Therefore, there is practically no one to save these boys and denounce their identities. The people behind child prostitution are very powerful and friends with dangerous drug lords. So it is mostly impossible to arrest them.

Laws are not enforced and now this culture is spreading around the country. In the documentary, they interview a policeman about his concerns regarding dancing boys and the same night, the cameraman films the same officer watching a bachabaze performing.

Once in business, boys are in high danger, if they try to escape… you can guess the consequences.

Surprisingly during interviews, the young boys say they are happy with what they do, however we also hear the owners’ voice whispering answers.

As soon as the bachabazes reach the age of 18, they are no longer desirable. Some of their owners take care of them after that age, they fix them a wife, buy them a house… Even though this may sound appealing to some, the truth is obvious.

For one interview they managed to talk to one bachabaze alone and immediately after the truth was revealed; he was terrified by his owner beating him and even killing him. I can’t forget him saying “my life is ruined” which sums up the tragedy happening.

On top of that, the documentary tells the story of a boy who managed to escape but later was followed by threats. Not long after, his owner and a policeman, found and killed him. The policeman was sent to prison but after a few months he was released. Afghan authorities have abandoned those kids for years. [source]

The innocence of childhood is something that these man have forgotten. I am rendered speechless by the gravity of this and the lack of a response from the world. Pressure for change has to come from somewhere. If only those people were punished, this wouldn’t happen.

For many years bachabazes was a taboo subject, not to be talked in public because of morality and law. It’s time to confront this reality. Awareness should be raised on this issue. Currently, the United Nations in NY is raising money to help the poor families so they don’t have to rely on this type of an abuse.

I truly hope this will end soon, for the sake of children.