Bacha bāzī (Persian: , lit. "boy play";[1] from bacheh, "boy", and bazi "play, game") is a slang term in some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan[2][3] for a custom in Afghanistan involving child sexual abuse by older men of young adolescent males or boys, called dancing boys, often involving sexual slavery and child prostitution.[4] In the 21st century, bacha bazi is practiced in various parts of Afghanistan and Northwestern Pakistan.[5][6][3] Force and coercion are common, and security officials state they are unable to end such practices and that many of the men involved in bacha bazi are powerful and well-armed warlords.[7][8][9]
During the Afghan Civil War (1996–2001), bacha bazi carried the death penalty under Taliban law.[10] Under the post-Taliban government, the practice of dancing boys was illegal under Afghan law, but the laws were seldom enforced against powerful offenders, and police had reportedly been complicit in related crimes.[11][12] Despite international concern and its illegality, the practice continued under the post-Taliban government.[13][14]
A controversy arose after allegations surfaced that U.S. government forces in Afghanistan after the invasion of the country deliberately ignored bacha bazi.[15] The U.S. military responded by claiming the abuse was largely the responsibility of the "local Afghan government".[16]
Bacha bazi is a centuries-old practice.[13] One of the original factors mobilizing the rise of the Taliban was their opposition to the practice.[6] After the Taliban came to power in 1996, bacha bazi was banned along with homosexuality. The Taliban considered it incompatible with Sharia law.[17] Both bacha bazi and homosexuality carried the death penalty,[10] with the boys sometimes being charged rather than the perpetrators.[17] Often, boys are selected because they are poor and vulnerable.[5] Men who have been bacha boys face social stigma and struggle with the psychological effects of their abuse.[13]
In 2011, in an agreement between the United Nations and Afghanistan, Radhika Coomaraswamy and Afghan officials signed an action plan promising to end the practice, along with enforcing other protections for children.[18] In 2014, Suraya Subhrang, child rights commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, stated that the areas practicing bacha bazi had increased.[17]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_bazi
https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/pakistan-opens-state-run-school-transgender-students-78737977
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62194995