Why do afghan men like boys

From a human rights perspective, the pervasive culture of pedophilia deserves substantial international consideration due to its detrimental effects — the immediate and noticeable effects on the young victims, as well as the roadblocks it creates towards achieving gender equality and peace.

Although Afghan officials formally agreed to outlaw these practices in response to U. An additional strategy for combating bacha bazi is to attack the issue from an ethno-cultural standpoint. The most important breakthrough, of course, will come when the Afghan government, police, and military rid themselves of all pedophiles.

If the central government can ensure its representatives at the local level will cease their engagement in bacha bazi , the social norms are bound to change as well.

Only then will a progressive social code be established. And if this evolved social code can incorporate the tenets of Islam with social justice and effectively marginalize the archaic and abusive aspects of Pashtun and Tajik warlord culture, there is hope for Afghanistan yet. Chris Mondloch served as an analyst for the U. Shusha was the key to the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Now Baku wants to turn the fabled fortress town into a resort. While the Afghan By Chris Mondloch. October 28, , PM. Pedophilia and Islam The fact that bacha bazi , which has normalized sodomy and child abuse in rural Afghan society, developed within a deeply fundamentalist Islamic region of the world is mystifying. Dispatch Stefanie Glinski. Dispatch Andrew Quilty. Argument Zuha Siddiqui.

What in the World? November 12, , PM. He served six months and fled to Pakistan. Apparently to discourage post-Taliban visitors, the owners of a nearby house have begun rebuilding on the site. He says the prime age at which boys are attractive to men is from 12 to before their beards grow in.

The adolescents sometimes develop medical problems, which he sees in his practice, such as sexually transmitted diseases and sphincter incontinence. So far, the doctor said, AIDS does not seem to be a problem in Afghanistan, probably because the country is so isolated. Richardson, the psychiatry professor, says it would be wrong to call Afghan men homosexual, since their decision to have sex with men is not a reflection of what Westerners call gender identity.

Instead, he compares them to prison inmates: They have sex with men primarily because they find themselves in a situation where men are more available as sex partners than are women. Daud, the motorbike repairman, would concur that the segregation of women lies at the heart of the matter. Daud says his first sexual experience with a man occurred when he was 20, about the time he realized that he would have difficulty marrying.

In Pushtun culture, the man has to pay for his wedding and for gifts and clothes for the bride and her family. Daud talked about his sex life only in private and after being assured that no photos would be taken.

If you want to have a relationship with a boy, you have to buy things for him. Some relationships need a lot of money, some not so much.

Sometimes I fix a motorbike and give it to him as a present. Some go to the mountains or the desert. Opinions differ as to whether homosexual practices in Kandahar are becoming more open or more closed since the Taliban was defeated. For instance, after anti-Taliban forces arrived in the city in early December, some Westerners reported seeing commanders going about town openly with their halekon.

Officially, the ban is aimed at ending the practice of using children as soldiers. Still, the anti-Taliban commander, who is close to Shirzai, acknowledged that one goal of the order was to keep halekon out of the barracks. It is estimated that there are 65, children living in poverty in Kabul who are vulnerable to such kinds abuses.

The former Mujahidin commanders are greatly involved in this practice, particularly in the post-Taliban era. Owning and having more than one boy is seen as a display of both power and wealth among some Afghan warlords.

According to doctor Sobh Rang, warlords may keep up to 10 boys. Perpetrators have been protected by the police because these warlords have extensive influence. Some evidence shows that even police attend these types of gatherings.

Nobody raises their voice against the practice, because of the shame associated to it. Society blames the victims rather than the perpetrator. Most of the perpetrators are the main advocates of Islam, while homosexuality is strictly prohibited in Islam. Perpetrators sexually exploit young boys and use them as sex slaves.

Warlords, religious leaders, and Mujahidin commanders have used religion for their political purpose for decades; or it is a way to advance their personal interests. Religion matters only so long as it does not clash with their personal interests. Tight gender segregation in Afghan society and a lack of contact with women have contributed to the spread of Bacha Bazi.

In Afghanistan, women are not allowed to dance in public; instead, boys are being used. Male dominant culture has contributed to the spread of this practice. The perpetrators are not being held responsible for crimes they commit, therefore impunity and gender inequality contributed to the spread of the practice. The factors such as a lack of legislative implementation, inadequate rule of law, a weak justice system, a corrupt judicial system, illiteracy, poverty, powerful militias groups involved in the practice, and instability, have also contributed to the spread of the practice.

The Pashtun rural culture is mostly male dominated and misogynistic, which gives rise to a system of gender reversal. Factors such as chronic instability, gender inequality, displacement, inadequate services, access constraints and discriminatory practices fueled the underreporting of conflict-related sexual violence across Afghanistan, contributing to the rise of Bacha Bazi.

These boys are often unable to run away due to fear of violence or even death. Once they reach adulthood, their psychological trauma makes it very difficult for these boys to readjust to society. Social stigma makes it difficult for former dancing boys to reestablish a male identity. They fail to find a decent work or profession so many of them turn to drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms.

They have fear that their identity beardless will be discovered by the community because of the shame associated with it. Most of these boys are deeply stressed; they have trust issues, pessimistic feelings, and a desire for revenge that makes it difficult for them to readjust to society.

Victims thus often end up socially isolated , both during and after their release. These children have low levels of self-esteem and self-respect. It is a mandate that all men should get married to one or more women and have children.

Mostly these marriages are often devoid of love and affection. They are getting married because it is expected from society that all young men and women should get married, otherwise they will be questioned by family, relatives, and society.