The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

In Afghanistan today, in the midst of war and endemic poverty, an ancient tradition ? banned when the Taliban were in power ? has re-emerged across the country. It?s called Bacha Bazi, translated literally as ?boy play.? Hundreds of boys, some as young as 11, street orphans or boys bought from poor families by former warlords and powerful businessmen, are dressed in women?s clothes, taught to sing and dance for the entertainment of male audiences and then sold to the highest bidder or traded among the men for sex. With remarkable access inside a Bacha Bazi ring operating in northern Afghanistan, Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi investigates this practice, still illegal under Afghan law, talking with the boys, their families and their masters, exposing the sexual abuse and even murders of the boys, and documenting how Afghan authorities responsible for stopping these crimes are sometimes themselves complicit in the practice.

Writing:
  • Ric Esther Bienstock
  • Neil Docherty
  • David Fanning

Stars:
Release Date: 1983-01-17
Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44
TMDb: 7.5/10
  • Country: US
  • Language: English
  • Runtime: 55

Other episodes for this season

Digital Nation
Episode 1 - Digital Nation
Flying Cheap
Episode 2 - Flying Cheap
Behind Taliban Lines
Episode 3 - Behind Taliban Lines
The Suicide Tourist
Episode 4 - The Suicide Tourist
The Quake
Episode 5 - The Quake
Obama's Deal
Episode 6 - Obama's Deal
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
Episode 7 - The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
The Vaccine War
Episode 8 - The Vaccine War
College, Inc.
Episode 9 - College, Inc.
The Wounded Platoon
Episode 10 - The Wounded Platoon
Law & Disorder
Episode 11 - Law & Disorder
Death by Fire
Episode 12 - Death by Fire
The Spill
Episode 13 - The Spill
The Confessions
Episode 14 - The Confessions
Facing Death
Episode 15 - Facing Death