|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Ritual Sexual Abuse of Afghan Boys Uncovered


Afghan Dancing Boysx390 (Screengrab) | Advocate.com

The ancient practice of organized sexual abuse of young boys is once again flourishing in Afghanistan, according to a Frontline investigation scheduled to air Tuesday night on PBS.

In “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan,” says a news release from the program, “Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi (“Behind Taliban Lines”) returns to his native land to expose an ancient practice that has been brought back by powerful warlords, former military commanders and wealthy businessmen. Known as ‘bacha bazi’ (literal translation: ‘boy play’), this illegal practice exploits street orphans and poor boys, some as young as 11, whose parents are paid to give over their sons to their new ‘masters.’ The men dress the boys in women’s clothes and train them to sing and dance for the entertainment of themselves and their friends. According to experts, the dancing boys are used sexually by these powerful men.”

The secret resurgence of this practice, which was banned by the Taliban, arrives as the United States deepens its commitment to war-ravaged Afghanistan. In tonight’s program, Quraishi will speak with the young boys and the powerful men who exploit them.

Watch a preview below.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: Paul Garlington
    Date posted: 4/26/2010 8:03:50 AM
    Hometown: Monterey California

    Comment:

    Back Door Betty's commentary is just plain nonsense...find a (gay) sugardaddy to teach them American values? Gay soldiers raping Afghans? You give gay folk a bad name. This practice of ritualized pederasty and paedophilia is an ancient practice that dates back to Alexander The Great and before. It is interesting to note that the "evil" Taliban banned the practice. In conclusion, it takes an intellectual to make the distinction between cultural sexual customs and rape. Obviously, the solution is the elevation of the entire country out of poverty as there is plenty of ritual abuse to women, boys and girls that occurs in the name of Islam and of tradition.

  • Name: Sonia
    Date posted: 4/22/2010 4:50:28 PM
    Hometown: Tampa FL

    Comment:

    It is funny you say that....none of these kids would have been treated this way.....if first afghanistan would've been fallen victim of power play btw US and Russia during cold war.....and then if US had kept its promise and rebuild afghanistan 20 yrs ago.....its so funny that we destroy them and try to rebuild them and claim ourselves heroes and in the end we fail anyways.......US is doing nothing promising in afghanistan...besides provoking the general public.............

  • Name: Paul
    Date posted: 4/21/2010 10:32:20 AM
    Hometown: san francisco

    Comment:

    It looks to me as if all the recent furor in the corporate media over gay child molesters is simply the early stages of a witch hunt. The right wing is really going after the entire gay community and concern for children is nothing more than a wedge that everyone will support. There was a homosexual witch hunt in Boise, Idaho in the 1950's and once it got started there was no stopping it until it had destroyed countless lives. The good folks of Boise used the excuse that they were trying to protect children from the scourge of homosexuality. Right wing gays seem only too eager to purge anyone from the gay establishment who might have once glanced at an under age man. Soon there will be nobody left marching in pride parades except log cabin rebublicans. If that is not already the case...

  • Name: Xavier
    Date posted: 4/21/2010 9:48:03 AM
    Hometown: Switzerland

    Comment:

    Khaled Hosseini's books talk about cases of abuse to children in Afghanistan. I always wondered if it was part of the fiction, or part of the reality in his novels. Reading this article and other recent news reports I have begun to understand that unfortunately this goes on too often in this country; and in others in that region of the world. Respect their cultures and their millenarian practices? I don't think so. It would be like accepting female mutilation. This has to end.

  • Name: backdoorbetty
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 11:12:14 PM
    Hometown: memphis

    Comment:

    This story just made me want to cry. I always thought there was something swishy about all those scarves and bangles so many Arab men wear and now this. Afghanistan: a country of molesters. Very soon our 'out and proud' gay soldiers will be storming those strongholds. And when they do I hope they will give a good corn holing to every one of those monsters to teach them a lesson. Get those boys out of there and give them sanctuary in the good old USA where they can each find a sugar daddy who will buy them ice cream cones and take them to Disneyland and teach them about American values.

  • Name: Stop child abuse
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 10:13:31 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Thank you for your article exposing crimes against children. Ritual Abuse and Satanic Ritual Abuse Evidence and Journal Articles http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Ritual_Abuse Over 280 sources proving ritual abuse and satanic ritual abuse exist http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Satanic_Ritual_Abuse_Evidence_and_Journal_Articles

  • Name: Cris
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 7:30:37 PM
    Hometown: Buda Texas

    Comment:

    Well, certainly the vast majority of these Afghan men are not gay. In Western culture, some clinicians label attraction for pubescent boys as hebephilia or ephebophilia, while others consider all attraction for underage children and teens to be pedophilia. Both concepts are different from homosexuality and are uncommon among gay men. In Middle Eastern cultures, this type of pederasty has been known for centuries and, here too, is not associated with homosexuality which is widely disapproved. Middle Eastern pederasty is also not a religious practice but one that is endemic to certain cultures. These Afghan men are no more likely to be religious than any other Afghan men. They're participating in a longstanding, secular practice.

  • Name: MMarkM
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 6:52:38 PM
    Hometown: Oakland

    Comment:

    Well, "consent" is a moot point when you have been sold into it.

  • Name: Jake
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 4:56:46 PM
    Hometown: Cathedral City, CA

    Comment:

    The issue is consent--at what age can a boy legally give consent for sex? Many in our community would say 13, 14, 15 perhaps, but kids that age don't know what they're doing, and believing it's so is just wishful thinking. Under 18 + Over 21 = pedophilia.

  • Name: Ronnie Mc
    Date posted: 4/20/2010 4:19:03 PM
    Hometown: Hawthorne,NJ

    Comment:

    Jose.....shut the fuck up...They're not Gay...They don't identify as Gay...They're not Gay...DEAL WITH IT!

 PREVIOUS 1 2 3 NEXT  


Don't Miss
  • Best of Broadway Smash: Why You Will Love It

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of the producers of NBC’s new critically acclaimed musical series, explain why the backstage drama of creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe has mass appeal and why big stars like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Nick Jonas were eager to appear in it.

  • Best of Broadway How Broadway Does a Flea Market

    Find out why actress Kathleen Chalfant calls the annual Flea Market and Grand Auction in Times Square "the most glamorous flea market you've ever seen." It raised half a million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS.

  • Travel Slideshow Flag Gayest Cities in America, 2012

    It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list.

 
 
Advocate Subscribe Promo Banner 300x50
 
Follow Us Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterSubscribe to our RSS feedsDownload our app
Facebook Activity
 
1056 COVER X135 | ADVOCATE.COM
Today's Headlines