Afghanistan International: The US State Department says the Taliban made no meaningful effort to combat human trafficking in 2026, leaving Afghanistan in the lowest tier of its annual report. The report said Afghanistan lacks a system for identifying trafficking victims and referring them to support services. It said the recruitment and use of children in
Daily Mail (UK): Despite the Taliban’s legal ban on the practice, a recent report suggests it remains widespread. The US State Department in its latest Trafficking in Persons report, found that child soldier recruitment, human trafficking and Bacha Bazi continue in Afghanistan. The report said the Taliban recruit children through coercion and deception, including false
8am: The latest report from the U.S. State Department on human trafficking in Afghanistan paints a grim and alarming picture of the Taliban’s conduct. The report reveals that the Taliban have not only failed to prevent the recruitment of children into their military ranks but that recurring incidents of bacha bazi (sexual exploitation of boys)
Times of India: In Afghanistan, the brutal tradition of Bacha Bazi—the sexual exploitation of young boys—continues to thrive despite official bans and international condemnation. Footage, shared by British journalist and writer David Patrikarakos on social media, showed boys forced to dance for the Taliban, a harrowing precursor to systematic abuse. After the Taliban took control
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi March 10, 2024 Male students who enrolled in Taliban-run religious schools say that sexual and physical abuse has led some to end their pursuit of an education in Afghanistan. The students, all of whom were aged 10 to 17 and spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity out of fears
BBC News: Two Americans attempted something unconventional. Lyricist Charlie Sohne and composer Tim Rosser created a musical about a subject even Afghans would consider too sensitive and unsettling – “bacha bazi” or “boy play”. The show has also faced criticism for promoting bacha bazi as a tradition that is accepted in Afghanistan. “Bacha bazi is
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty June 26, 2020 The U.S. State Department has added Afghanistan to a list of nations doing little to stop human trafficking, saying Kabul has failed to properly address child sexual slavery and the recruitment of child soldiers. In its annual Trafficking In Persons Report released on June 25, the department included Afghanistan in
Tolo News: The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in a report on Tuesday claimed confirmation of the involvement of several teachers and school officials in the sexual abuse of children in Logar province. According to the Human Rights Commission, “credible evidence” shows that a number of students who became the victims of sexual abuse
Tolo News: At least 18 suspects were identified and seven of them were arrested over their alleged involvement in the sexual abuse of children and youths in Logar province, the Attorney General’s Office said on Saturday. This comes a day after reports surfaced in the media that Mohammad Mussa Mahmoudi, the head of Logar’s civil society,
Tolo News: A probe team by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has found evidence to support allegations of sex abuse of children and teenagers at some schools in Logar province, according to a member of the rights organization. The commission plans to keep the details secret until the probe team completes its investigation. The