Children’s games! Like a corpse submerged in deep water, the word swells and surfaces again and again. The sexual enslavement of young boys has reportedly been largely curbed in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. If a commander is caught playing games, he could face 20 years to death in prison, but even then this trend cannot be stopped. The screams of these children, feet shackled, dancing, raped, were nothing more than the squeak of an old bed amid the ever-changing news. Although heard, it was ignored.
When we asked to speak to Bacha Baji’s victims and discuss much of the sensitive information, the intelligence chief flatly refused. “This job is extremely dangerous and even more difficult. This is happening in three or four states and no one is ready to talk about it.
After days of trying, we finally made contact with a family whose son had been missing for years while playing as a child. Now that he’s back, it’s like a barren land behind countless crops. Nothing is the same except the face.
I was working in the opium fields and someone picked me up and took me away. Fear, shock, fatigue—or perhaps the effects of all of them—made me faint. When I regained consciousness, I was under a new roof. With a new name and a new identity. Junaid and I became Gur together. Now I dress up like a girl and dance in the crowd.
As the months passed, I learned all the tricks of my new career. The darker the skin and the more elastic the waist, the kinder the owner will be. They would also give me money and a nice meal. In return I had to grit my teeth and endure the rape and dance whenever they asked me to.
Are you trained to dance, or do you just enjoy dancing?
No. No special training is necessary in this area. Just play some music and you can dance gently to it. The shop owner and his friends will sit around. They often continue the conversation. Any business transaction. Or discuss any issue. Or just joking. He would look at me from time to time.
If someone enjoys this dance so much, he will even take money out of his pocket. But there is a special way to take the money. We had to pick it up with our teeth while dancing. Taking money away from them is an insult to their status. At the beginning, I did it a few times, and that night, the master beat me hard and then raped me.
The owner (they called him Aka) already had two children, Barish. Bigger than me. Better than me. When the master wasn’t raping me, he was raping me. They will also fight together. But he was careful not to cause any damage to the face or any immediately visible part.
I quickly realized that I was better than them all. My face is a little younger than other boys my age. Since I am from a rural area, I understand the tunes more than others. Also knows how to play rubab. I soon became my master’s favorite. He started calling me Ashna. One complaint from me and the other boys could be fired. Even the old people started to be afraid of me. And then I was his favorite for years.
They would brag about my delicate face and long hair in front of their friends. I’m starting to like it too. Many times we don’t have two meals to eat at home. You can eat your favorite food here every day. I like to eat steamed buns (meat and vegetable dumplings). After learning about this, people often ordered mantu for me. Will buy me expensive perfume. And soft clothes.
It has become a habit so even rape no longer hurts. The owner will also be merciful when he is sick.
Besides dancing, we have many other tasks. Watch that no one does bad things to the boss or plots against him. Track their changes. Continue to threaten the chef. I have become so powerful that even people of high status will talk to me cordially if I complain.
Our source also told the same thing in a Telegram conversation.
There is almost a competition among the children to see whose son is more delicate and smarter. It’s like showing off your power, money or weapons. Our religion forbids girls from dancing so Bacha Barishas take their place.
Powerful commanders or warriors kept a close eye on poor families. Boys aged 10 to 18 are targeted. Once the boys are discovered, they are either traded to family members or kidnapped. They remained owned by the same owners for many years thereafter. It is very rare for them to pass from one hand to another.
Barish is raised the same way our country raises his girlfriend or wife. Just like your property.
Bacha Baji is also believed to have been born during the Taliban era. But that’s not the case. This is common even in times of democracy (elected government). In the past, almost every commander had two, three or even more boys who were always with him like his girlfriends. I saw all this with my own eyes.
Currently, the phenomenon is more prevalent among people in Kandahar, Nimroz and Helmand provinces. Especially among Pashtun tribes.
Here, having a boy is associated with masculinity. Owners may be married or single. This was the case earlier in Kabul and almost across the country. But this decreased during the Taliban’s rule, and if any commander or governor was found to be involved in children’s gambling, he was immediately removed from office. I myself once complained about a commander and had him punished.
If found guilty of raping a child, he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison or even death.
This doesn’t happen so openly due to strict regulations, but it still happens. These boys are used like two in one. They are girlfriends when needed. The rest of the time they can also act as spies because their transportation is not restricted anywhere.
While providing the information, the commander also shared several videos in which young boys dance, sing, or pose as a couple in front of elderly people. He said that in 2020, when hundreds of such videos appeared on social media pages, the Afghan Ministry of Education also established an investigative committee. But no one knew what happened to him. Then the Taliban came. He made different rules.
After searching on Google, we also found a news related to this online. According to reports published in The Guardian, the two activists who posted the video began receiving threats on their lives. It was so serious that the two had to flee the country with their families.
Our sources also repeatedly asked to be careful and delete all content when providing information and conversations with boys coming out of day care.
Junaid, who comes from the countryside, has completely transformed into a city person. With a new name, a new identity. But having a favorite child is like walking on slippery ground.
He recalled that I must have been 10 or 11 years old when these people brought me. Memories of home have been erased. But Master did not let me forget my position. Every now and then he would do something that would make me fall to the ground. Once he saw me laughing and talking to a girl. I was whipped that day. From then on I started to stay away from girls.
Eight years have passed. Then one day the owner started looking for another boy. I learned this from the chef.
He said – “Maybe you don’t have that happiness anymore!” He also told many other things while making Korma. Also, the employer wants a boy from the same area as you are from. You can also help them if you want and you will get a nice tip.
As soon as the new boy arrived, I was sent back to the village. With some money and a pat on the back. The owner’s man personally came and dropped me off near the village.
I’ve been back for many years. Now I am Junaid. But the past “Gul” is still stuck.
Jokingly speaking, people in our village look at me like a woman. Boys my age have already settled down with their families, but I don’t have any relationships. But most of all, I longed for my old life. Dancing, singing, status and a hearty meal. I have no skills other than entertaining myself.
What is Dionysus
This is a term from Persian that means boys playing. In this practice, boys aged between 9 and 18 years old are used as sex slaves. These boys were called Bacha-Barish, meaning those without beards. Sometimes they are also called Aashna to express their love. Because of their young age, they possess many feminine qualities, so they are seen as alternatives to girls.
Children caught in this trend become victims of many diseases due to sexual exploitation. According to the commander, this tradition is more prevalent in the southern region adjacent to Pakistan, so local doctors see more such cases. But the family and the doctor himself kept many secrets to prevent their secrets from being revealed. Too often, families resort to half-hearted treatments out of fear.
The most dangerous of these is that when children return to the family after years of role reversal, they are unable to remain normal. They are all adults with different habits. Many times, even families themselves are hesitant to adopt them. Even if they get married, they cannot remain comfortable in the relationship and they themselves start preying on underage boys. The sequence continues like this.
Is there no law against this?
In Afghanistan, the Penal Code revised in 2018 provides severe penalties for this. In addition to this, such behavior is also illegal under Section 99 of the Child Protection Act. After the Taliban arrived, they reportedly decided to take harsher punitive measures. 20 years in prison or death. Even after this, it cannot be completely eradicated. Now, however, everything happens in great secrecy.
