Written by: Reyhan Fayyaz Rizal and Felicia Atmapralieto
Research and Analysis – FPCI Chapter UI Board of 2025
General Overview
The tragedy of Afghanistan is often framed by its decades of conflict and the systematic oppression of women and girls. Yet, beneath the veneer of cultural tradition and shrouded in the chaos of war and endemic poverty lies an equally horrifying practice that targets young boys: Bacha Bazi, a Persian term meaning “boy play” (EUAA, 2024). This huge scale of this issue is immense; some studies estimate that up to 50 percent of the men in certain southern tribal areas have engaged in the exploitation of boys, alarmingly a terrifying normalized system of abuse (Mondloch, 2013). This is not a benign custom, but a brutal, organized system of child sexual slavery and exploitation where pre-adolescent boys, often between the ages of 10 and 18, are bought, abducted, or sold by impoverished families to wealthy and powerful men—warlords, merchants, and influential community figures—to be used for entertainment, dancing, and sexual abuse (U.S. Department of State, 2021).
Historically rooted in Central Asian cultural practices dating back centuries, Bacha Bazi experienced a brief suppression during the initial Taliban regime in the 1990s, who deemed it un-Islamic (All Survivors Project & Youth Health and Development Organisation, 2020). However, in the power vacuum and lawlessness that followed the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, the practice was not only revived but also flourished and became deeply entrenched, particularly among the very militias and commanders with whom the West allied (Bedi, 2021). It stands today as one of the most egregious, yet globally under-discussed, human rights crises, showing that the trauma inflicted by conflict and fundamentalist regimes in Afghanistan is affecting boys with devastating permanence (Andelkovic, 2022). The core conflict of this issue is whether Bacha Bazi should be viewed through a historical-cultural lens or, unequivocally, as the severe child abuse that it is. The consensus among human rights experts is firm: it is a gross violation that demands immediate international action (Gevorgyan & Matevosyan, 2023).
Bacha Bazi, or “boy play,” is a horrific practice of child sexual slavery where boys are forced to entertain and sexually serve powerful men in ultra-conservative Afghanistan, brazenly contradicting the nation’s strict moral laws.
Historical Background
The practice of Bacha Bazi can be traced as part of Afghanistan’s centuries-old history. Records older than 200 years show young male dancers performing in front of kings, courtiers, landowners, tribal chiefs, villagers, and more common people for entertainment (Abdi, 2023). Bachas, young boys deemed feminine and beautiful due to having ‘no hair’, were the result of the intense segregation between men and women (Prey and Spears, 2021). As women were banned from participating in various activities, including dancing, wealthy Afghan men sought entertainment through these dancing young boys. The Tārikh-e Soltāni (The History of Kings) written in the 1860s by Sultan Mohammad Khales wrote about a Shiʿi Qizilbash man who lured a Sunni Tajik amrad (beardless youth) into his house, intoxicated him, and performing forceful improper acts on him for days. Although the accuracy of this story was never proven, it shows how long the practice of Bacha Bazi has sustained in Central Asia (Abdi, 2023).
Bacha Bazi activities have long been associated with Islamic insurgency fighters. These boys are usually kidnapped and kept in military camps, facing abuse and sexual slavery to project the power and status of the fighters. The public nature of these acts generated local support for the Taliban as they successfully rescued these boys and banned Bacha Bazi, but the practices returned after the regime was toppled by the United States in 2001 (Prey and Spears, 2021). It can be seen how interlaced these practices are to Afghanistan, because despite facing bans in the 1920Afghan Penal Codes and in 1996 during the Taliban’s rule, Bacha Bazi has never really perished in Afghanistan. Even the United States policymakers diminished the issue to a mere “cultural” practice of Afghanistan and was instructed to never bat an eye at what they witnessed (LSE, 2018). Today, it may be rarely seen in the bigger cities of Afghanistan, but the practice still persists in the rural areas of the country (WION, 2025).
The Persistent Practice of Human Trafficking
Afghanistan’s weakening economy plays a major role in the practice of Bacha Bazi. These boys, valued for their youthful and feminine appearance, could either be kidnapped or sold by their own families due to poverty (LSE, 2018). In order to fulfill the daily needs, the family may sell their son to wealthy merchants (Andelkovic, 2022). These boys could also be attacked and end up being rejected by their families, which forces them to live with their attackers (Abdul-Ahad, 2009). The relationship between the boys and their masters are as “property” and “owner” (Andelkovic, 2022). The powerful warlords, merchants, and illegal armed groups that are able to evade the law, goes hand-in-hand with the high number of poverty and displaced children to sustain this dark practice of child exploitation (CRIN, 2013; Andelkovic, 2022).
Gender and Sexual Harassment of Young Boys
Adorning feminine clothing and makeup with bells circling their ankles, these boys are forced to dance while being spectated by rich men. Money is shoved and thrown around while music and jingles of the bells fill the air (Abdul-Ahad, 2009). These boys are stripped of their masculinity for the pleasure of their “owners” and their friends (LSE, 2018). However, the worst has yet to come. What happens after the music ends is nonetheless another horrifying issue. These Bacha Bazi are also subject to sexual harassment by these powerful and lust-filled men (Qobil, 2010). The “owners” take pride in such actions, claiming it as a symbol of power and social status (Andelkovic, 2022). A question may arise, in a country where homosexuality is such a crime, how does such practices rise as a social status? The answer lies in how Afghans view homosexuality. The sexual nature of the dominant males (the “owner”) is considered a masculine identity because anal penetration of the submissive male (the Bacha Bazi) is not considered an act of homosexuality. Hence, the masculinity and honor of the “owner” remain intact (Prey and Spears, 2022).
As these boys are highly prized for their feminine and “unbearded” looks, their services are considered finished after puberty hits and they start growing beards. Unfortunately, these boys will continue to face another challenge, which is difficulty of reintegration into society (Andelkovic, 2022). The practice is very looked down upon by society that these boys will face taboos and unwelcoming remarks. Some are also not necessarily financially better off, as an owner admits to never giving salaries to the boy and only covering his daily expenses (CRIN, 2013). Taken by force, and later rejected by his own people due to different beliefs held by society.
Geopolitical and Systemic Exploitation: The Hidden Toll of Foreign Policy
The tragedy of Bacha Bazi transcends cultural pathology and economic desperation; it is a crisis tragically amplified and sometimes enabled by geopolitical decisions, impacting the security of Afghanistan and the moral integrity of its international partners (Bruton, 2019). The practice has proven to be more than a social ill—it is a corrosive political weapon and a profound source of instability that has undermined two decades of Western effort (Jones, 2015).
The Weaponization of Depravity: Bacha Bazi as a ‘Trojan Horse’
One of the most chilling dimensions of the practice is its weaponization by insurgent groups. The Taliban, which officially condemns Bacha Bazi under its strict interpretation of Islamic law, did not hesitate to exploit the known depravity within the ranks of the U.S.-backed Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) (Goldstein, 2015). Commanders and powerful officials within the police and military, who viewed the enslavement of boys as a status symbol, were targeted (Schut & van Baarle, 2017).
The boys, the bachas, were effectively used as Trojan horses. Taliban operatives would send these enslaved children—who had intimate access to their owners—into rival compounds and headquarters (Schut & van Baarle, 2017). Their mission was to gather critical intelligence, compromise security protocols, or facilitate coordinated attacks and assassinations. (Schut & van Baarle, 2017) This tactic transformed the boys from victims of sexual violence into unwitting tools of war, demonstrating that Bacha Bazi was a direct national security vulnerability that contributed significantly to the weakening and eventual collapse of the former government’s defenses. The systemic corruption that enabled the abuse was simultaneously the very means of its destruction (Jones, 2015).
The Cost of Silence: U.S. Complicity and Policy Compromise
The failure to address Bacha Bazi decisively was rooted in a fatal compromise by the international coalition, particularly the United States (Bruton, 2019). Numerous reports confirmed that U.S. military personnel were acutely aware of the widespread practice within the ANSF they were training and funding (Bruton, 2019). The conflict then became a stark ethical dilemma: prioritize the mission’s stability by maintaining corrupt allies, or uphold human rights by cutting off aid.
Tragically, policy often favored the former, U.S. military aid was supposed to be cut to foreign units implicated in gross human rights violations (Bruton, 2019). However, Congress repeatedly authorized a special exemption—the “notwithstanding clause”—allowing funding to continue despite widespread knowledge of Bacha Bazi (Mondloch, 2021). This political decision to prioritize strategic and counter-insurgency goals over children’s lives effectively institutionalized a culture of impunity. U.S. service members who attempted to intervene against bacha baz commanders were reprimanded, marginalized, or had their careers derailed (Goldstein, 2015). This institutional silence sent a clear and disastrous message to Afghan warlords and officials: that their power and status, symbolized by their enslaved boys, were more important than international law and universal human rights standards (Goldstein, 2015).
The Abandonment: Post-2021 Crisis and the Void of Support
The Taliban’s swift takeover in August 2021 triggered a final, devastating blow to the victims of Bacha Bazi. The ensuing economic collapse and the immediate suspension of vast international aid created a “perfect storm” of danger and abandonment (All Survivors Project, 2021).
First, the deep economic crisis exacerbated the root cause of the practice, driving even more desperate families to sell their sons into servitude as a means of survival (All Survivors Project, 2021). Second, the crucial support systems for survivors vanished. Non-governmental organizations and human rights groups, which relied on foreign funding to provide rehabilitation, mental health support, and secure shelter for rescued boys, were forced to close or suspend operations (UK Home Office, 2024). This left thousands of young male survivors—already grappling with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and the debilitating effects of repeated sexual violence—with absolutely no access to care.
Furthermore, the post-2021 justice system, now governed by the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law, often compounds the trauma. Instead of receiving victim support, some boys subjected to Bacha Bazi have reportedly been criminalized and housed in juvenile detention centers, effectively penalizing them for the crimes committed against them (U.S. Department of Labor, 2024). This profound structural neglect ensures that the cycle of abuse continues: boys who endure such systematic violence are at a higher risk of developing aggressive or substance-abuse behaviors, often growing up to become perpetrators themselves, tragically repeating the trauma they suffered (All Survivors Project, 2021). The silence of the international community, now compounded by the vacuum of aid, condemns these boys to a future defined by their past abuse.
The Role of International Law: Taliban’s Legal Capacity
Based on Article 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), States must ensure that a child receives the standard of living adequate to their physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development (OHCHR, 1990). Forcing these adolescents into a “culture” so detrimental to their masculine identity and safety does not meet the criteria for an adequate environment. Another fundamental international convention to note is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Under Article 3, every individual has the right of liberty, Article 4 strongly stands against slavery, and Article 5 forbids degrading treatment towards another human being (UN, 1948). It can be concluded that the practice of Bacha Bazi goes against human rights and the rights of the child.
Although there have been attempts to stop Bacha Bazi by the international community, such as the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in January 2018 (Andelkovic, 2022), the 2021 overthrow of the Afghanistan government by the Taliban further questions Afghanistan’s legal standing. Afghanistan has signed various conventions relating to human rights, including the UDHR, CRC, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Afghanistan also established an Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), which continues to face difficulties to reach its objectives due to powerful actors repeatedly escaping accountability (Galland, etc, 2011). Internationally, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan which functions to monitor, report, and advocate for human rights in Afghanistan was recently banned entry to Afghanistan by the Taliban (OHCHR, 2025; Amnesty International, 2024). Under international law principles, as the de facto government of Afghanistan, the Taliban is required to honor the human rights conventions signed by Afghanistan. However, the implementation is clearly facing many obstacles as the Taliban keeps on shutting down foreign access to Afghanistan and cannot be monitored closely (Saul, 2021).
Bacha Bazi practices have lasted for centuries in Afghan culture, despite its clear violations of human and children’s rights. Solving the issue has also found another obstacle, which is difficulty of access due to the Taliban’s rule. The international forum could start by bringing light to the issue, and pressuring the Taliban, as Afghanistan’s de facto ruler, to adhere to the human rights violations faced by their society.
Conclusion
Despite being practiced for many centuries, this culture is intertwined with many human rights violations. A mere boy is forced upon feminity and sexual abuse, dancing for the rich men or their “owners”. After reaching puberty, the adolescent is deemed unattractive and immediately thrown back to society, where he is not welcome either. This long-lasting dark practice has opened its doors not only to entertainment, but also used for politics between Afghanistan and the United States. Afghanistan’s continuous history of human rights violations, and the return of the Taliban rule which shuts down access of the international world to Afghanistan seems to further murk the situation. In order to lessen the practices, it is important for the global forum to speak on the issue and pressure the de facto ruler of Afghanistan to solve the looming problem.
References
3.16.1. Violence against children. (2024). European Union Agency for Asylum. https://euaa.europa.eu/country-guidance-afghanistan-2024/3161-violence-against-children.
Abdi, A. (2022). The Afghan Bachah and its Discontents: An Introductory History. Iranian Studies, 56(1), 1–20. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/irn.2022.42.
Abdul-Ahad, G. (2009, September 12). The dancing boys of Afghanistan. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/12/dancing-boys-afghanistan.
Afghanistan – United States Department of State. (2025, January 6). United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-trafficking-in-persons-report/afghanistan.
AFGHANISTAN Briefing to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Boys in Afghanistan. (2020). https://allsurvivorsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ASP.submission.Afghanistan.CRC_.85thSession.2020.pdf.
AFGHANISTAN: An in-depth look at the practice of “bacha bazi” (dancing boys) | CRIN. (2013, September 23). CRIN. https://archive.crin.org/en/library/news-archive/afghanistan-depth-look-practice-bacha-bazi-dancing-boys.html.
Amnesty International. (2024). Afghanistan 2024. Amnesty International. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/afghanistan/report-afghanistan/.
Andelkovic, J. (2022, September 13). Bacha Bazi – severe child abuse disguised as an Afghani custom. Humanium. https://www.humanium.org/en/bacha-bazi-severe-child-abuse-disguised-as-an-afghani-custom/.
Bruton, A. B. (2019). Bacha Bazi and Human Rights Violations in Afghanistan: Should the U.S. Military Have Done More to Protect Underage Boys? UKnowledge. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/klj/vol108/iss1/6/.
Conflict-related sexual violence: New dangers facing men and boys in Afghanistan. (2022). All Survivors Project. https://allsurvivorsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Conflict-related-Sexual-Violence-New-Dangers-facing-Men-and-Boys-in-Afghanistan.pdf.
Country policy and information note: unaccompanied children, Afghanistan, November 2024 (accessible). (2025, November 4). GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-country-policy-and-information-notes/country-policy-and-information-note-unaccompanied-children-afghanistan-november-2024-accessible.
Galland, M., Berquist, E., Handler, S. G., Reed, N., & Sulmeyer, M. (2011). An Introduction to International Law for Afghanistan (1st ed.). ALEP – Stanford Law School. https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ALEP-International-Law-for-Afghanistan-1st-Ed_English.pdf.
Gevorgyan, M., & Matevosyan, A. (2023). Bacha Bazi: Unraveling Debate between Crime Against Humanity and Regional Tradition. European Journal of Law and Political Science, 2(6), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejpolitics.2023.2.6.111.
Goldstein, J. (2015, September 20). U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/asia/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html.
Jones, S. V. (2015). Ending Bacha Bazi: Boy Sex Slavery and the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine. Indiana International & Comparative Law Review, 25(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.18060/7909.0005.
Jones, S. V. (2025). View of Ending Bacha Bazi: Boy Sex Slavery and the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine. Iu.edu. https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/iiclr/article/view/18587/18585
Men on top: sexual economy of bacha bazi in Afghanistan. (2022). International Politics. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-022-00401-z.
Mondloch, C. (2013). Bazi: An Afghan Tragedy’. Foreign Policy October. https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/173188/1/BB.Revised.pdf.
OHCHR. (2025). Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan. OHCHR. https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-afghanistan.
Prey, E., & Spears, K. (2021, June 24). What About the Boys: A Gendered Analysis of the U.S. Withdrawal and Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan. New Lines Institute. https://newlinesinstitute.org/gender/gender-as-an-analytical-tool-for-foreign-policy/what-about-the-boys-a-gendered-analysis-of-the-u-s-withdrawal-and-bacha-bazi-in-afghanistan/.
Qobil, R. (2010, September 7). The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11217772.
Saul, B. (2021, December 21). “Recognition” and the Taliban’s International Legal Status. ICCT. https://icct.nl/publication/recognition-and-talibans-international-legal-status.
Shajjan, S. J. (2018, January 24). The revised Afghanistan criminal code: an end for Bacha Bazi? South Asia @ LSE. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/01/24/the-revised-afghanistan-criminal-code-an-end-for-bacha-bazi/.
U.S. Department of Labor. (2017). Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor – Afghanistan | U.S. Department of Labor. Dol.gov. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/afghanistan.
United Nations. (1948, December 10). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.
United Nations. (1990, September 2). Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child.
van Baarle, E. M. (2018). Ethics education in the military: Fostering reflective practice and moral competence. [PhD-Thesis – Research and graduation internal, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]. VU Research Portal. https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/69432361/chapter%204%20Dancing%20boys%20and%20the%20moral%20dilemmas%20of%20military%20missions.pdf.
WION. (2025, September 11). The Dark History and Present of Bacha Bazi (Boy Play) by Afghan Elite | PRIME CRIME | WION. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9puB6dJM30.