Bacha bazi resurfaces in Afghanistan, and parts of Pakistan amid Taliban rule as reports link gender segregation and conflict to abuse of boys in Afghanistan. Photos: X.
As restrictions on women continue to intensify under Taliban rule, fresh attention is being drawn to the longstanding and deeply controversial practice of bacha bazi in Afghanistan and certain regions of Pakistan. Reports indicate that the extreme segregation of women in conservative societies has contributed to a system in which young boys are dressed as girls, forced to dance for adult men, and later subjected to sexual abuse.
So what is behind this barbaric practice? The widely cited saying in Afghanistan is, “women are for children, boys are for pleasure.” Critics argue that it is norms like these that fuel the barbarity against women and children in war-torn Afghanistan.
The practice of bacha bazi dates back to at least the 13th century. It has continued through multiple political transitions in Afghanistan. Although the Taliban banned bacha bazi during their first period of rule in the 1990s, it resurfaced after the 2001 US-led invasion.
Following the American withdrawal in 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power, new laws restricting women’s presence in public life have reportedly contributed to conditions in which the practice has again become widespread. It is described as particularly prevalent in Pashtun tribal regions, where some estimates suggest that a significant proportion of men participate.
Boys involved in bacha bazi, known as bacha bereesh (meaning beardless boys), are typically between the ages of 10 and 18. They are often taken under the control of older men and brought to private gatherings, weddings, and parties, where they perform dances, sometimes wearing women’s clothing and makeup, for male audiences.
After these events, many boys are taken to private residences where they face sexual abuse and rape. Due to threats, violence, and financial dependence, victims frequently struggle to escape their abusers. In some cases, children are kidnapped; in others, impoverished families sell their sons to perpetrators.
A September 2025 report by the US State Department in its annual Trafficking in Persons assessment stated that child soldier recruitment, human trafficking, and bacha bazi continue in Afghanistan, with Taliban members and other armed groups exploiting children.
The report documented cases involving Taliban officials and nearly all armed factions. Survivors indicated that local commanders and elites are now among the main perpetrators. Prior to the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, military commanders, police personnel, and government officials were also widely implicated.
Separately, the EU Agency for Asylum noted in 2024 that Afghan security forces, particularly the Afghan Local Police, had reportedly recruited boys specifically for use in bacha bazi across all provinces of the country. According to the report:
“Afghan security forces, in particular the Afghan Local Police, reportedly recruited boys specifically to use them for bacha bazi in every province of the country.”
A 2009 Human Terrain Team study suggested that certain Pashtun social norms do not view bacha bazi as un-Islamic or homosexual, contributing to its persistence in conservative communities.
In October 2016, then-president Ashraf Ghani ordered an investigation into institutionalised child sexual abuse. The probe led to the arrest of five soldiers from the Afghan National Army (ANA) accused of abusing a boy, possibly within the context of bacha bazi.
In 2017, a district police chief and six ANA members were arrested on similar allegations. However, accountability remained limited.
Despite Afghanistan introducing legislation in 2018 criminalising those involved in the practice, enforcement has remained inconsistent. Observers say the situation has worsened under the leadership of Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, whose policies have imposed stricter gender segregation and severe restrictions on women’s rights.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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