Young Boys Forced to Dress Like Women Before Being Raped in Afghan Ritual
US Officials Accused of Ignoring Sexual Abuse of Afghan Boys 'In the Name of Cultural Tolerance'
The American Center for Law and Justice has sent legal documents to the United Nations calling for an end to the grotesque practice in Afghanistan where grown men force young boys to dress up like women, before raping and sexually abusing them.
The conservative law group said that the "bacha bazi" practice, which translates to "boy play," has been present for centuries in Afghanistan, and reports have said that it is still being used in the war-torn country.
"Perpetrators span all facets of society, including high-ranking officials in the government and security forces, and are allowed to systematically rape and traffic young boys with virtual impunity," the ACLJ said.
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In a September 2015 CNN report, two United States soldiers said they witnessed the sexual abuse of children in Afghanistan, but were told by American military officials to overlook what was happening.
Dan Quinn, who was a U.S. Army captain at the time, and Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland revealed that they psychically stopped an Afghan police chief they saw abusing a boy, warning him to never go near the boy or his mother again. The two men were subsequently punished by being relieved of their duties shortly afterwords, with superiors reportedly displeased with their actions.
The ACLJ has been advocating for Martland, and on Tuesday revealed that its affiliate, the European Centre for Law & Justice, filed legal documents at the U.N., warning that thousands of boys are sexually abused in Afghanistan.
The law group accuses the international community of ignoring the bacha bazi practice "in the name of cultural tolerance and military strategy."
"Bacha bazi has political and international ramifications because of who participates in the practice. The Pashtun warlords, who are the main opponents of the Taliban in Afghanistan, are the primary perpetrators of this atrocity," the statement to the U.N. declares.
"This makes the general population more likely to sympathize with the Taliban, because the Taliban is less likely to take their teenage boys and abuse them sexually. Because the international community is trying to support the Pashtun's efforts and not alienate them, they are either overlooking the plight of the boys who are being used in this way, or are unaware."
Quinn also argued that the soldiers were punished for helping the children because of a directive not to undermine the authority of the local government.
"We were trying to build up the local government. Us acting after the local government fails to can certainly undermine their credibility," he told CNN in September.
The Pentagon has strongly denied the accusation, however, and in a September statement from spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis, said: "We have never had a policy in place that directs any military member, or any government personnel overseas to ignore human rights abuses."
Davis added: "Any sexual abuse, no matter who the alleged perpetrator and no matter who the victim, is completely unacceptable and reprehensible."
The ACLJ has started a petition that people can sign calling for the U.N. to protect Afghan children from sexual torture.
"The suffering society screams out for justice. Yet the U.S. military has reportedly told our troops to look the other way, as our tax dollars fund this nation. We are mobilizing on Capitol Hill, at the U.N., and around the world to stop this evil," the petition reads.
