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The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan: Bacha Bazi
Introduction
When we here about Afghanistan as a country, we tend to associate it with war, famine, and poverty. The current generation has known nothing else but war. This, in turn, leaves a huge gaping hole within the moral and social aspects of the country. Within the nation lies a dirty practice (Bacha Bazi) that was documented in 2010 by Frontline PBS. Bacha Bazi is a process where young boys aged between 10-20 are lined up to dance in front of a crowd of ‘powerful and well-established’ men in the society. In common cases, the dances usually happen in private parties to satisfy the sexual pleasures and fantasies of ‘high-profile guests’. The details, in fact, go far beyond what was initially released to the world. In this light, I decided to gather information from previously documented materials on the matter, and I will share my research from three different perspectives. First, I will discuss the history of the dancing boys, the legal formalities involved, and the effects it poses to the children involved and the society at large.
As discussed, Bacha Bazi which stands for ‘boy play’ involves rich and powerful Afghans who buy or tame young boys to sexually exploit them. The issue has come into intense scrutiny of late. People who are well aware of it would say that the practice is only a resurgence of what used to happen in the past, just that it is done in broad daylight in recent years. Its roots are attributed to a law that prohibits women from dancing in public and showing off their bodies (Noman 521). Therefore, young boys are dressed up in colourful dresses to fill in the void instead. They are referred to as bacha bareesh or beardless boys. One common characteristic of these young boys is poverty. Their parents are usually enticed by financial reimbursements to hand them over with the promise that their boys will be well taken care of. Omid for instance, a victim who featured in a BBC report, puts it that “I had no choice. Sometimes we go to bed on empty stomachs. When I dance at parties I earn about $2 or some pilau rice” (Qobil, 2010, para 11). In other cases, boys are also kidnapped from their homes and introduced to their masters for the beginning of a long-term relationship. The boys dance in private parties and are later coerced into sexually satisfying their masters. Refusals or any escape attempts are met by rape or murder. In general, they are deprived of life, education, and dignity in the context of being a teenager. Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) report that in severe cases, victims are severely beaten and suffer bad injuries like neck injuries, illness, internal bleeding, and broken limbs.
It is important to note that Bacha Bazi was once deemed illegal by the Taliban. It goes against Islam and Sharia laws. In fact, the perpetrators were punished by death. It was not until 2001 when the U.S invaded the nation that certain oppression groups emerged. The Taliban left a power vacuum that encouraged such immoral practices (Schut et al. 79). Fast forward to recent times, child abuse especially child trafficking ended up being illegal but Bacha Bazi did not. Additionally, the U.S commanders that were present throughout their occupation made little or no effort to eliminate the practice. They were reportedly ordered to ‘look the other way’ since any intervention would mean they were interfering with Afghan’s culture (Schut et al. 87). In fact, cases of child abuse by their allied militias were ignored to keep them on their side in their fight against the Taliban. Special Commander Dann Quinn is known for his infamous story of when he was relieved of his duties and withdrawn from war. This was after he confronted one of the American-backed up militia who held a 14-year-old boy in chains on his bed as a sex slave. He says that such incidents continue to place much scrutiny on Bacha Bazi (Noman 528). NGO’s such as the Human Right’s Watch put forth convincing arguments that the U.S. government should exercise their responsibilities to Afghanistan and put an end to the resurgence of this form of child abuse. 2014 saw more vigorous international condemnation of the act. United Nations for instance insisted that laws need to be enacted to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable and severely punished. It was no surprise therefore when the practice was officially deemed illegal in 2017 by President Ashraf Ghani. However, more recent reports still prove that the problem does not seem to be getting any better. AIHRC, for instance, opines that “before, Bacha Bazi existed in some special areas, but now it is everywhere” (Shajjan 73).
One cannot help but think about the far-reaching detrimental consequences that Bacha Bazi poses on the children and the society at large. It is an offensive, nasty, and shameful taboo that goes against what Muslim is all about. It is considered a form of haram and joins the likes or adultery, murder, or eating pork. The victims end up being isolated from society. Imagine a 10-year-old boy with practically no survival skills being neglected by the very community that should protect him. A boy whose body acts as his only means of getting something to eat or a place to sleep in the evening. In fact, once this boy’s dancing skills improve, word gets to their relatives and the situation worsens. People almost immediately cut off ties with the victims.
In turn, they are exposed to severe psychological traumas that extend into their adult life after they quit dancing. This may happen in two different levels. One, they may end up being isolated and develop a lack of confidence and self-value. They tend to be hopeless, stressed out, and pessimistic about everything (Erdogdu et al. 8). Fear clouds their minds, and they have to live with horrific childhood memories for the rest of their lives. The second angle is where the boys counter and channel all that anger towards revenge. It is reported that boys who quit dancing oftenly get back into the business by becoming agents of other ‘up-coming’ boys since this is the only source of income they are well aware of (Erdogdu et al. 8). Arguing along the same lines, a lot of casualties are also reported from revenge and hostility incidents. The boys are completely devoid of emotions when they grow up and end up killing their former masters (Erdogdu et al. 8).
This goes without mentioning the direct effects of Bacha Bazi to the children’s health. According to a report by UNICEF, the victims are vulnerable to all kinds of sexually transmitted diseases (Shajjan 65). In addition, boys who are beaten suffer serious injuries that may either impair them or in severe cases, kill them. Additionally, some children suffer from minor PTSD which in turn ruins their personal relationships with other people. They develop anxiety and fear which is exactly what the young boys do not need in their young lives.
Conclusion
Bacha Bazi is a massive human rights problem in Afghanistan that is under-reported. This essay has discussed the history behind the dancing boys, the legal formalities involved, and the effects Bacha Bazi poses on them. Although something is being done to rectify the situation, evidence still proves that it is escalating. The war on Taliban failed to leave a free and safe society. However, there should be several attempts by the Afghan government to combat this nasty practice with the aim of protecting children from losing their dignity and innocence. Moreover, the country does rely on these children as their future leaders. I believe that effective reform can best be achieved with tremendous changes in culture. This would mean serious negotiations between the government, the perpetrators, and religious leaders.
Works Cited
Erdogdu, Elif, et al. “Breaking the Stigma against Child Sex Trafficking and Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan.” The Journal of Penn States University (2016): 1-13.
Noman, Alice. “The Tragedy of the Dancing Boys in Afghanistan: The US Silence on Bacha Bazi.” Seattle J. Soc. Just. 15 (2016): 503.
Qobil, Rustam. “The Sexually Abused Dancing Boys of Afghanistan.” News, BBC, 8 September. 2010, Retrieved From: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11217772.
Schut, Michelle, and Eva van Baarle. “Dancing Boys and the Moral Dilemmas of Military Missions.” International Security and Peacebuilding: Africa, the Middle East, and Europe(2017): 77.
Shajjan, Sayed Jalal. “The revised Afghanistan criminal code: an end for Bacha Bazi?.” South Asia@ LSE (2018).