The practice known as bacha bazi (Dari for “boy play”) represents one of the darkest human rights violations in Afghanistan, involving the sexual enslavement and abuse of pre-pubescent boys, often forced to dress in feminine attire and dance for powerful, older men. While it is fundamentally a form of institutionalized pederasty and child sexual abuse, its origins are rooted in archaic Central Asian customs, where male dancers (as women were often prohibited from public performance) were used for entertainment, gradually becoming synonymous with sexual exploitation.
This cruel practice was temporarily suppressed under the Taliban's initial rule (1996–2001), which outlawed it under Sharia law. However, the subsequent U.S.-led invasion in 2001 and the ensuing two decades of conflict created a perfect storm for its resurgence. The power vacuum and collapse of civil governance allowed regional warlords, militia commanders, and corrupt officials—many of whom became key Western allies—to operate with impunity. For these powerful men, keeping a bacha became a blatant symbol of wealth and authority, an act of sexual access driven by the social constraints that severely restrict contact between men and women in public life.
Crucially, the U.S.-Afghan War provided a perverse mechanism for the practice to thrive. Reports and investigations revealed instances where Western military and contracting personnel were ordered to ignore evidence of bacha bazi and other sexual assaults committed by their Afghan allies. This policy of non-intervention was often justified as avoiding cultural conflict or jeopardizing vital security partnerships. By prioritizing military stability over child protection, Western forces—in effect, enabling the perpetrators—allowed those guilty of child sexual violence to retain power, resources, and protection, contributing to what is known as moral injury among non-intervening foreign troops.
The persistence of bacha bazi is fueled by a confluence of factors. Extreme poverty forces families, often facing starvation, to sell or relinquish their sons in exchange for financial support, institutionalizing the supply of victims. On the demand side, the perpetrators are typically high-ranking figures who use corruption and intimidation to operate outside the weak or non-existent justice system. Although the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan criminalized the act with specific anti-bacha bazi laws in its 2018 Penal Code, enforcement remained rare due to the power and influence of the abusers.
Ultimately, bacha bazi continues because it operates at the intersection of cultural tradition, conflict-fueled impunity, and economic desperation. The failure of the international community to forcefully intervene against its protected perpetrators during the war years cemented the system, leaving the victims with deep psychological trauma and little hope for justice or social reintegration.