Why, in a country swimming with opium, are suicidal women setting themselves on fire?
The abuse of women is nothing new in Afghanistan. Burka-clad women were a virtual trademark of the Taliban. But this is a relatively new phenomenon. Apparently, self-immolation as a method of suicide was imported from Iran’s countryside. This abuse is not limited the women. The warlords are equal opportunity oppressors. An Australian team has broken a story about the practice of bacha bazi, “boy play.” The boys are sex slaves also known as “dancing boys.” The trade in boys is well known to the United Nations. According to Nazir Alimy, who compiled a report on the issue for the UN, there is no doubt who is funding this practice and why the police refuse to stop it. “According to our research these dancing boys are used by powerful men for sex,” Mr Alimy said. According to the UN report, there is evidence that the practice of bacha bazi and the sexual abuse of boys is common throughout the north of the country. It confirms that boys, some as young as 10, are lured into life as a sex slav
