Afghanistan sees rise in 'dancing boys' exploitation

View Photo Gallery — The exploitation of Afghanistan's 'dancing boys': A growing number of Afghan children are being coerced into a life of abuse as a result of the practice of wealthy or prominent Afghans exploiting underage boys as sexual partners.

By Ernesto Londoño, Published: April 4

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afganistans-dancing-boys-are-invisible-victims/2012/04/04/gIQAyreSwS_story.html

DEHRAZI, Afghanistan — The 9-year-old boy with pale skin and big, piercing eyes captivated Mirzahan at first sight.

"He is more handsome than anyone in the village," the 22-year-old farmer said, explaining why he is grooming the boy as a sexual partner and companion. There was another important factor that made Waheed easy to take on as a bacha bazi, or a boy for pleasure: "He doesn't have a father, so there is no one to stop this."

A growing number of Afghan children are being coerced into a life of sexual abuse. The practice of wealthy or prominent Afghans exploiting underage boys as sexual partners who are often dressed up as women to dance at gatherings is on the rise in post-Taliban Afghanistan, according to Afghan human rights researchers, Western officials and men who participate in the abuse.

Is it a rise, or a fact of life in this ancient society?

From the article:

Two years ago, he took on a 16-year-old as his bacha. The relationship will end soon, he said, sitting next to his companion, Jawad, who is now 18.

"When he starts growing a beard, his time will expire, and I will try to find another one who doesn't have a beard," Assadula said.

This is the religious rationalization.  Boys are not men; thus the relationship is not homosexual.  In Islam, homosexuality is considered a crime against god, punishable by stoning to death.

I seriously don't think this has anything to do with Islam.

Quote from: spacial on April 09, 2012, 03:19:48 PM
I seriously don't think this has anything to do with Islam.

I think it's a cultural phenomenon, and the religion is the pervasive cultural factor there.

  Culture and religion have both contributed to this problem.  A PBS Frontline episode last year had addressed this issue.  Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/
  Joelene

Quote from: Jamie D on April 09, 2012, 03:32:21 PM
I think it's a cultural phenomenon, and the religion is the pervasive cultural factor there.

Islam would condem this without reservation.

I seem to recall, in a previous version, it was said these dancing boys are closely guarded secrets. Though that doesn't seem quite so apparent now.

But my comment was directed at Jamie D. If these men really are after boys who haven't started shaving then it would suggest they are attracted to prepubescent boys. Nasty and unpleasant, but hardly anything to do with religion.

Strange that, if these activities have been going on for so long that no-one thought to criticise them before now. They can hardly claim they didn't know, westerners have been unsuccessfully trying to subdue Afghanistan for hundreds of years. There can be little they don't know about what is going on there.

Seems the only achievement from the invasion is the restoration of the Heroin trade, abolished by those terrible, unreasonable Taliban. (Or are we not yet suppose to talk about that?).

Quote from: spacial on April 09, 2012, 06:51:13 PM
Islam would condem this without reservation.

I seem to recall, in a previous version, it was said these dancing boys are closely guarded secrets. Though that doesn't seem quite so apparent now.

But my comment was directed at Jamie D. If these men really are after boys who haven't started shaving then it would suggest they are attracted to prepubescent boys. Nasty and unpleasant, but hardly anything to do with religion.

Strange that, if these activities have been going on for so long that no-one thought to criticise them before now. They can hardly claim they didn't know, westerners have been unsuccessfully trying to subdue Afghanistan for hundreds of years. There can be little they don't know about what is going on there.

Seems the only achievement from the invasion is the restoration of the Heroin trade, abolished by those terrible, unreasonable Taliban. (Or are we not yet suppose to talk about that?).

You must recall, in Islam, there is no "central authority," like the Pope in the Catholic Church.

You must also recall that Mussolini made "the trains run on time."  Does one achievement compensate for the destruction of his country?  The Notable Achievements of the Taliban is a very thin book indeed.

While I'm sure it will be a barrel of laughs, discussing this with you, it seems to be drifting too far from any TG issue.

The relevance of the topic to TG is weak to start with. Discussing the latest silly claims, constructed no doubt for nefarious purposes, would seem to be tempting fate.

I don't need to look for trouble. I stick to rules. Rules say, no non TG issues in the News section.

Fair enough