Posted on Sep 22, 2015
CPT Military Police
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There have been a number of Soldiers who reported the abuse of young boys in a practice called "boy play" among the Police Commanders in Afghanistan. This practice was documented in a 2010 series ran by PBS highlighted the practice known to the Pashtun as Bacha Baza.

The Department of Defense hired AnnaMaria Cardinalli, a social scientist to look into the matter.

Ms. Cardinally, found that the practice of men raping young boys there is common and is reported to be a status symbol among men. It was reported that if a man did not have a boy he could not compete with other men in their social hierarchy i.e. boys are status symbols.

The tradition is reported to have arisen as the result of women being off limits to men because of their strict religious beliefs. Men are not supposed to look at women or speak to them before a proposal for marriage is made. Women are always covered head to toe further hiding them from prying eyes. It is also taught that women are "unclean" because of menstruation. One man who was interviewed asked the interviewer, "How his wife could become pregnant?" after it was explained to him, he reacted in disgust saying, "How could one feel desire to be with a woman, who God has made unclean?" So young boys will dress up as females. "Young boys dress up as girls, wearing makeup and bells on their feet, and dance for a dozen or more leering middle-aged men who throw money at them and then take them home." The practice among men does not stop after marriage. Most men keep boys for their "entertainment".

A recent State Department report called "dancing boys" a "widespread, culturally sanctioned form of male rape."

In Afghanistan the practice of raping young boys has created a culture of pedifiles. A practice passed from generation to generation, as boys aged 9 to 15 are sold by their families to men for their pleasure. These boys more often than not grow up to become pedifiles and the cycle is repeated over and over.

Now the Pentagon is releasing the following statement, " We never had a policy in place that directs any military member, or any government personnel overseas to ignore human rights abuses. Any sexual abuse is completely unacceptable and reprehensible. "

To compound and make this story worse is the path the U.S. Army took to kick out a decorated SFC Charles Martland, after he got in trouble for shoving an Afghan police commander accused of raping a boy and beating up his mother when she reported the incident.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 69
CW3 Network Architect
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If I were to be discharged for having confronted a pedophile (sp), I would wear my discharge like a badge of honor, because to me, that's exactly what it would be.
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SSgt A-10, F-15, & U-2 Avionics Systems
SSgt (Join to see)
>1 y
At least some of us have our head on straight! Makes me wonder if the officials who don't want us to interfere are attracted to it too
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Capt Tom Brown
Capt Tom Brown
8 y
CW3 (Join to see) Well said sir & proud to stand with you should the need arise.
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MSgt John McGowan
MSgt John McGowan
8 y
CW2 i for one is glad to see that Sgt Martland was able to stay in the Army. There was no reason to even think of a discharge. This administration has went overboard with help to the other guys and tied the hands of our troops. I see the need to hold down civilian casualties but to drop leftlets for fueltrucks before a air strike is a little weird.
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CW2 Louis Melendez
CW2 Louis Melendez
8 y
SSgt John S. - Brother, SFC Martland case was resolved recently. He will be allowed to stay in service.

On a side note, I personally don't blame him for reacting that way. I would've done the same thing to that piece of s....

I have to say that political correctness scenario goes out the window...
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HN 8404 Corpsman
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I'm going to be honest. I have a little boy. I would lose my shit if I saw another little boy, or any child for that matter, getting sexually abused. I would beat the offender to death with my bare hands. That bothers the shit out of me. Hell hath no fury..
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TSgt Robert Mahaffy
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I'm reminded of the following story of how the British dealt with a very similar circumstance:
"British in India were faced with the practice of “suttee” – the tradition of burning widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands. General Sir Charles Napier was impeccably multicultural: “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.” The practice of suttee disappeared almost immediately."
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MSG Sean Milhauser
MSG Sean Milhauser
>1 y
Well said, however, I fear in our present-day PC culture, Sir Charles would likely be reassigned to a staff position elsewhere.
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