http://uk.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUKNOA93661520071119 ..................................................................................
Afghan boy dancers sexually abused by former warlords
Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:11am GMT Email | Print | Share| Single Page | Recommend (0) [-] Text
1 of 1Full SizePUL-E KHUMRI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - They are known as "bacha bereesh", boys without beards, teenage boys who dress up as girls and dance for male patrons at parties in northern Afghanistan.
It's an age old practice that has led to some of the boy dancers being turned into sex slaves by wealthy and powerful patrons, often former warlords, who dress the boys up as girls, shower them with gifts and keep them as "mistresses".
Afghan police are battling to crackdown on the practice which has angered Islamic clerics who say those involved should be stoned for sodomy, forbidden under Islamic law.
In a society where the sexes are strictly segregated, it is common for men to dance for other men at weddings in Afghanistan.
But in northern Afghanistan, former warlords and mujahideen commanders have taken that a step further with competitions for their dancing boys.
"Every boy tries to be the first. They are dressed in women's clothes, have bells on their feet and have artificial breasts," said Mohammad Yawar, a former mujahideen fighter against the Taliban and resident of the northern town of Pul-e Khumri.
The practice, called "bacha bazi" -- literally "boy play" -- has a long history in northern Afghanistan, but sometimes it does not stop with just dancing.
"I very much enjoy hugging a boy. His smell and fragrance kills me," said Yawar.
The 38-year-old businessman said he recruited a 15-year-old boy three years ago to help him with his work. Continued... on above link