Afghan law targets sex slaves practice

To curb abuse, a raft of punishments will now be listed in country’s revised penal code

Afghanistan is set to lay out stringent penalties for ‘bacha bazi’ — sexual slavery and abuse of boys — for the first time, officials say, in a landmark move against the deeply entrenched practice.

Reports revealed last year how the Taliban were exploiting rampant bacha bazi in police ranks to mount deadly insider attacks, exposing a hidden epidemic of kidnapping of young boys for institutionalised sexual slavery.

The revelations intensified long-standing demands by campaigners for Kabul to enact an incisive legal provision to curb bacha bazi — literally “boy play” — which has seen a striking resurgence in postTaliban Afghanistan.

A raft of punishments will now be listed in Afghanistan’s revised penal code — from up to seven years in jail for sexual assault to capital punishment for “aggravated cases” such as violating more than one boy.

“There is an entire chapter on criminalising the practice [bacha bazi] in the new penal code,” Nader Nadery, a senior adviser to President Ashraf Gani, told AFP.

“The code is expected to be adopted any time this month. This is going to be a significant step towards stopping this ugly practice.”

A draft of the chapter seen by journalists, titled Driving children towards moral corruption, also states that bacha bazi victims cannot be prosecuted, a significant caveat in a nation where sex assault victims often face punishment.

Afghanistan’s criminal law previously only prohibited paederasty and sex outside of marriage, which rights campaigners said did not sufficiently address the problem of bacha bazi.

“This chapter clearly defines bacha bazi as a crime, leaving no room for ambiguity,” Gani’s legal adviser Nasrullah Stanekzai said, waving printed copies of the revised penal code in his hand.

Symbol of affluence

Aside from police commanders, warlords, politicians and other members of the Afghan elite often keep “bachas” as a symbol of authority and affluence.

The young boys, sometimes dressed effeminately with make-up and bells on their feet, can be used as dancers at private parties and are often sexually exploited.

A media investigation found that the Taliban were using the boys — keen on revenge and easy prey for recruitment — to infiltrate security ranks and mount crippling insider attacks on police in southern Afghanistan.

The insurgents deny the claim. Before the penal code, activists pushed for years for special legislation on bacha bazi.