Bacha Bazi SOC 351 Use as many sources as you can from what I have uploaded.

Question

As requested by students, the special topic for this week is going to be the 'Dancing boys in Afghanistan.'

Normally, I do cover this topic in my ICJ101 class, so some of you here, are familiar with the topic. However, we are going to dig a bit deeper.

The practice is known as 'Bacha Bazi' or 'Boy Play' and it is illegal under the Afghanistan law. Yet it continues to this day. This practice can also be found in Pakistan.

I want you to first watch these two documentaries:

Afghanistan:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/dancingboys/

Pakistan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMp2wm0VMUs

Secondly, read the following short articles.

Human Rights Watch: Bacha Bazi: Afghanistan's Darkest Secret
https://humanrights.brightblue.org.uk/blog-1/2017/8/18/bacha-bazi-afghanistans-darkest-secret

BBC: The Sexually Abused Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11217772

Foreign Policy: Bacha Bazi: An Afghan Tragedy
https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/10/28/bacha-bazi-an-afghan-tragedy/

NY TIMES: U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/asia/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html


These cases are heartbreaking and ongoing. I want you to carefully watch the videos provided because you will find there many of the reasons why these tragedies are happening. I must share with you my students, in all the years that I have worked in law enforcement and the United Nations, the Bacha Bazi cases are some of the most tragic ones that I have encountered. The general population often operates under the assumption that women are the most vulnerable part of the population, but that is incorrect. What is more tragic, is that these cases are underreported so no one knows for certain the extent of its occurrence.

Once you have reviewed the material, I want you to answer one of the following questions (or more):

1. Are there any differences between the cases of Afghanistan and Pakistan?

2. What are the reasons behind these tragic events?

3. The legal system has made the attempt to make illegal these events, so why are they still occurring?

4. Should the international community intervene? Should the U.S. soldiers intervene in the cases that they have witnessed?