"tonightonfrontline..." "In an afghanistan ravaged by" "War and poverty, an ancient" "Tradition has been secretly" "Revived:" "Young boys sold by" "Their families to wealthy" "Merchants and warlords, taught" "To dance and entertain, and" "Used for sex." "it'sa formof slavery," "Sexual slavery." "afghanjournalistnajibullah" "Quraishi goes undercover to" "Investigate the illegal" "Practice known as bacha bazi." "toexposetheworldofbacha" "Bazi, first I had to get inside" "It." "heuncoversthebuyingand" "Selling of boys as young as 11," "The dancing rituals, the sexual" "Exploitation that can lead to" "Murder... lastyear,thisboy was" "Killed in this area." "...Andtheofficialswho" "Refuse to act." "theafghancriminaljustice" "System is not working." "tonight,frontlinetakesyou" "Inside the illicit sex trade of" ""the dancing boys of" "Afghanistan."" "narrator:" "Najibullahquraishi" "Is an afghan journalist who has" "Been living in exile." "He left afghanistan after he was" "Almost beaten to death while" "Investigating a massacre of" "Prisoners during the war in 2001." "Now, he was returning to conduct" "A new investigation, this time" "Into the exploitation of poor" "Children in afghanistan." "quraishi:" "Mycountrywas" "Always poor, but it was the" "Conditions of the children that" "Really shocked me." "allah,allah." "Allah, allah." "Allah, allah." "narrator:" "Najibullahhad" "Returned to investigate reports" "Afghan boys are vulnerable to" "Being sexually abused by" "Powerful men who have brought" "Back an ancient practice banned" "Under the taliban and still" "Illegal under afghan law." "It's called bacha bazi." "Translation: "boy play."" "narrator:" "Thedvdsshow" "Afghan boys dressed in women's" "Clothing, dancing before" "Audiences made up entirely of" "Men." "The boys are street orphans or" "Boys bought from poor parents in" "The countryside." "It's common knowledge in this" "World that after the dancing," "These boys are often sold to the" "Highest bidder or shared among" "Powerful men for sex." "No one had yet penetrated the" "Secretive world of bacha bazi," "But najibullah was heading to" "Northern afghanistan to meet a" "Group of men who had agreed to" "Take him inside the dancing boy" "Culture." "Near the northern city of" "Takhar, he arranged to meet one" "Of those men, called dastager." "quraishi:" "Toexposethe world" "Of bacha bazi, first I had to" "Get inside it." "So I had decided to tell" "Dastager that we were making a" "Film about this same custom in" "Europe, and we were interested" "To see how it was practiced in" "Afghanistan." "Dastager seemed to accept this" "Explanation." "narrator:" "Duringthewar" "Against the russians, dastager" "Was a mujahideen commander." "Today, he's a very successful" "Businessman." "He owns a car dealership in" "Takhar, importing vehicles from" "The far east, along with a" "String of other businesses." "A respectable businessman and a" "Devout muslim by day, at night," "He leads a double life." "narrator:" "Dastagerinvited" "Najibullah to meet one of his" "Favorite dancing boys." "Imam is 15 years old and is a" "Veteran performer." "¶ ¶ ¶" "narrator:" "Imamwasborrowed" "From his owner for this small" "Party, staged for a few select" "Men in takhar." "narrator:" "Themusicianrafi," "A close friend of dastager, is" "An important figure in bacha" "Bazi circles in takhar." "narrator:" "Golhom,another" "Friend of dastager, owns a" "Restaurant in takhar." "narrator:" "Therehadbeenan" "Argument." "Some of the other men wanted to" "Take imam home tonight, but" "Dastager was having none of it." "narrator:" "Najibullahcaught" "Up again with dastager at one of" "His favorite spots, a swimming" "Hole for men and boys." "He asked him how the practice of" "Bacha bazi, which had almost" "Died out in afghanistan, was" "Brought back to the country." "narrator:" "Asaformer" "Northern alliance commander," "Dastager remains one of the most" "Powerful men in takhar." "At night, he travels with a" "Bodyguard provided by the" "Police." "narrator:" "Dastagerlivesina" "Wealthy neighborhood." "He is married and has two young" "Sons." "narrator:" "Thoughhe hassons" "Of his own, dastager was looking" "For a new boy in his life." "narrator:" "Dastagerhad" "Arranged to pick up his new boy" "Here at his uncle's barber shop." "We have disguised the identity" "Of the boy, who we'll call" ""shafiq," for reasons that will" "Become clear as his story" "Unfolds." "quraishi:" "Dastagersaidthat" "Shafiq was 11 years old, but to" "Me he looked no more than nine." "quraishi:" "Itwasclearshafiq" "Knew nothing about the world of" "Bacha bazi he was about to" "Enter." "narrator:" "Meanwhile," "Najibullah was meeting more of" "Dastager's bacha bazi friends," "Including mestary, a former" "Senior commander with the" "Northern alliance." "Mestary is still a very powerful" "Man, with close links to some of" "The biggest warlords in" "Afghanistan." "He invited najibullah to a" "Gathering in the mountains with" "Other commanders." "narrator:250mileswestof" "Takhar, najibullah tracked down" "Another friend of dastager's." "He's known as "the german."" "narrator:" "Thegermanactsas" "A bacha bazi pimp, supplying" "Boys to some of the rich and" "Powerful men in the region." "narrator:" "Thegermancouldn't" "Find the boy he was looking for," "But he did find other potential" "Recruits wandering in the park." "narrator:11-year-oldshafiq" "Had been living with dastager in" "A separate house he keeps for" "His bacha bazi boys." "narrator:" "Thisis hisfirst" "Day of training with rafi to" "Become a dancing boy." "¶ ¶ ¶" "narrator:" "Asnajibullah" "Talked with shafiq, it's just" "Possible to hear rafi in the" "Background, whispering the" "Answers to him." "narrator:" "Rafitold" "Najibullah the training would" "Take a year, six months to teach" "Shafiq to sing and play music" "And another six months to dance." "quraishi:" "Aswe leftshafiq" "In rafi's hands, I knew the boy" "Had no idea what else will be" "Expected of him when he becomes" "A dancing boy." "My fears for him grow." "A few days later, we were" "Driving with mestary and" "Dastager." "They didn't realize our camera" "Was still running as we" "Overheard their conversation" "About what they had done with" "Another young boy." "narrator:" "Bachabaziissuch" "A taboo subject in afghanistan" "That no one knows how widespread" "It really is." "The first hints come from a" "Recent report compiled for" "Unicef by nazir alimy." "weareparticularlyconcerned" "About what has been called the" "Bacha bazi system or practice," "Where there are young boys" "Increasingly associated with" "Military commanders." "narrator:" "Theun 'sradhika" "Coomaraswamy was one of the" "First international figures to" "Speak out publicly against bacha" "Bazi." "wefeelthatacampaign" "Should be run to raise awareness" "About this issue and to stop" "This practice." "Whenever I mentioned this topic" "To afghans or even the" "Diplomatic community, it was as" "If I had dropped a big brick." "At no point do they say that" "This doesn't happen." "It's just a kind of, "let's not" "Talk about it, you know"" "It's a taboo subject." "narrator:" "Theproducers" "Showed her some early footage" "They'd gathered." "it'sa disgustingpractice." "You saw that boy's face, that" "First one that was taken in that" "Car, and that complete trusting" "Innocence." "1#ér's just absolutely horrific." "It's a form of slavery, taking a" "Child, keeping him." "It's a form of sexual slavery." "We have to ensure we take them" "Out of that reality because it's" "Terribly exploitative of them." "narrator:" "Underafghan" "Criminal law, it is illegal to" "Buy or sell a child, or to" "Commit sexual acts with" "Even the dancing boy parties are" "Illegal because the boys are" "Owned by masters." "¶ ¶ ¶" "Although most parties take place" "In secret, this one was part of" "A large celebration for men at a" "Wedding in takhar." "Rafi the musician was there;" "He'd organized the" "Entertainment.Qm" "That's where najibullah met" "Abdullah, just 13." "narrator:" "Abdullah'sowner" "And rafi sat nearby, listening" "To the interview." "theafghancriminaljustice" "System is not working, and that" "Is a big issue." "The only way to stop bacha" "Bazi is if you prosecute people" "Who actually commit the crime." "And that's what we need because" "The laws are there in the books" "Against this practice." "narrator:" "Najibullahwentto" "See police authorities in takhar" "Province to ask if those laws" "Are being enforced." "The deputy chief of police is" "Mahmud al-hassan." "narrator:" "Butwhatabout" "Their own police officers, like" "Satar khan, chief of the youth" "Crime department?" "Najibullah's camera had" "Discovered officer khan in the" "Audience watching the dancing at" "That illegal bacha bazi wedding" "Party." "Not only that, he found the" "Police department's chief" "Investigator, jabar khan, there," "Too." "¶ ¶ ¶q" "narrator:" "Fourmonthshad" "Passed." "Shafiq had started his dancing" "Lessons ahead of schedule." "Dastager had chosen as his tutor" "His own favorite dancer, imam." "narrator:" "Imamhadalsobeenk éjdtq) ]inking about his future." "narrator:" "Afterhe turns18," "Imam said, he plans to become" "The master of his own stable of" "Dancing boys." "narrator:" "Athisrestaurant," "Dastager's friend golhom" "Introduced najibullah to the" "Bacha bazi boy he owns, 14-year-old nemat." "narrator:" "Najibullah,sensing" "That all was not right with the" "Boy, asked to speak to him" "Alone." "narrator:" "Gholomagreed." "narrator:" "Najibullahwould" "Discover that he too knew one of" "Those boys." "Before he met dastager, he had" "Made an earlier trip to northern" "Afghanistan carrying a camcorder" "To document his initial research" "Into bacha bazi." "¶ ¶ ¶" "He'd filmed this party in the" "Late summer of 2008." "15-year old hafiz was one of the" "Most sought-after dancing boys" "In the region." "Mestary knew the boy." "narrator:" "Whennajibullah" "Returned to afghanistan over a" "Year later, he tried to find" "Hafiz again, only to be told the" "Boy had been murdered." "quraishi:" "Lastyear,thisboy" "Was killed in this area, so I'm" "Trying to find his family," "Friends or someone to know him," "To talk about it." "narrator:" "Hemethafiz's" "Brother, javad, who said he" "Would tell najibullah the story." "Javad and his mother told" "Najibullah that hafiz's master," "A well-known drug baron and" "Warlord, had mistreated hafiz." "Javad said he helped his brother" "Escape, and then the threats" "Began." "narrator:" "Javadandhis" "Mother said ahmadullah, the" "Policeman, was convicted and" "Sentenced to 16 years in prison." "But just a few months later, he" "Was released." "They said local people believe" "That hafiz's former owner paid" "Off the authorities." "narrator:" "Afterweeksof" "Negotiating with dastager, he" "Had finally agreed to allow" "Najibullah to visit shafiq's" "Rural village to meet the boy's" "Family." "narrator:" "Althoughhe had" "Started the day in a good mood," "As he and rafi drove to the" "Village, najibullah sensed" "Dastager was growing suspicious" "Of his motives." "It was clear he regretted" "Agreeing to the visit." "narrator:" "Shafiqseemed" "Different, too." "He refused to hold the hand of" "The man who was introduced to" "Najibullah as his father." "quraishi:" "Itseemedclearto" "Me something has happened to" "Shafiq." "He appeared disturbed." "He wasn't the same young boy I" "Had first met." "narrator:" "Laterthatday ,as" "Najibullah was speaking with" "Some other boys near the" "Village, dastager became" "Extremely agitated." "quraishi:" "JustIheardfrom" "Dastager that the boy has" "Disappeared and singer and" "Dastager are looking for the" "Boy." "But they're really worried and" "Saying, "what should we say to" "His dad?"" "And he disappeared." "narrator:" "Dastagerandrafi" "Seemed to panic in their rush to" "Find shafiq." "narrator:" "Theyfailedtofind" "Shafiq, and dastager began to" "Blame najibullah for the boy's" "Disappearance." "quraishi:" "Suddenlytheboy ," "The young boy disappeared." "And we asked dastager to take us" "Back to that boy." "And dastager refused." "And he said he doesn't want to" "Filming anymore." "So this is the time for us to" "Leave the country." "As we left takhar, I felt" "Terrible about shafiq and all" "The other boys." "But there seemed little we could" "Do." "Given dastager's power and" "Connections, we couldn't go to" "The police." "And we had been warned that" "Staging a rescue could put a boy" "In even more danger." "It felt like we had all" "Abandoned the boys of" "Afghanistan." "narrator:" "Whatwouldhappen" "Next was a story of intrigue and" "Unexpected drama." "It began when najibullah" "Returned to England to begin the" "Editing of this film." "rafiwasthemainguy." "He's the guy who actually" "Arranges the boys for the" "Parties." "narrator:" "Heandproducer" "Jamie doran got news that shafiq" "Had been found and returned to" "Dastager." "His training as a dancing boy" "Was continuing with rafi." "didyouhearhim ?" "Did you hear rafi giving him the" "Answers?" "yeah." "narrator:" "Unwillingto stand" "Back and do nothing, and" "Together with frontline, they" "Consulted western authorities" "And child welfare experts in" "Afghanistan for advice." "But because of dastager's" "Connections to the local" "Authorities, najibullah" "Suggested a private effort and" "Enlisting an unlikely ally:" "The" "Powerful warlord mestary." "hasmestaryreallychanged" "Much?" "quraishi:" "Heseemed" "Completely changed." "He's changed his mind and he" "Helped us a lot, basically." "Mestary had kept his own bacha" "Bazi boys many years ago, but as" "I spoke him by phone, he seemed" "To have become more sensitive to" "The damage done by bacha" "Bazi and he agreed to help" "Shafiq." "Ithinkit 'simportantto" "Understand that mestary is a far" "More powerful character than" "Dastager, and dastager is well" "Aware of the connections that" "Mestary has." "So we felt pretty confident that" "Mestary would be able to" "Persuade dastager to give up the" "Boy." "narrator:" "Itwasmid-January, 2010, when mestary showed up in" "Takhar." "He was expecting to take custody" "Of shafiq and return him to his" "Family, but there was no sign of" "The boy." "He went looking for rafi." "Then he called najibullah with" "Terrible news." "Shafiq was dead." "Rafi had told mestary that" "Several weeks earlier, there had" "Been an accident, that a heavy" "Fertilizer bag had fallen off a" "Truck and killed shafiq." "quraishi:" "ThenIspokewith" "Rafi on the phone, and he said" "The same thing." "He said the boy has been killed" "And there is no shafiq." "We were really concerned," "Everyone." "Then we put the phone down and" "We called him again, and we told" "Mestary to chase around takhar," "To go everywhere and please find" "His dad or anyone." "How can we prove shafiq is dead?" "narrator:" "Thenmestaryused" "His contacts with afghan" "Government authorities to push" "For rafi to be interrogated." "Under pressure, rafi finally" "Admitted that he and dastager" "Had made up the whole story" "About the accident to avoid" "Giving up the boy." "Shafiq was alive, somewhere near" "Takhar." "narrator:" "InFebruary," "Najibullah came back to" "Afghanistan." "He'd been assured that the boy" "Was safe." "The authorities had intervened" "And helped relocate his family" "To another region of" "Afghanistan." "narrator:" "Inalong," "Secretive journey, mestary took" "Najibullah to a mountain village" "Far from takhar, a location" "We've also had to disguise." "There had always been a worry" "About returning the boy to his" "Father, but getting to the" "Village, najibullah was" "Surprised to discover that he" "Was a different man than the one" "He had interviewed months" "Earlier." "narrator:" "Convincedhe was" "Indeed shafiq's father," "Najibullah told the family he" "Had brought additional funds" "Personal contributions from the" "Producers and frontline staff" "To help the family resettle and" "See that shafiq gets an" "Education." "quraishi:" "Shafiq'sfacewas" "Completely different." "He was so bright, and he was" "So happy." "And he had lots of cousins and" "He was playing inside the house." "And outside, I saw a happy" "Family." "narrator:" "Shafiqis reluctant" "To talk about his life with" "Dastager and rafi, but he seems" "Safe, and najibullah is" "Determined to keep connected to" "Him and his family." "quraishi:" "AsItoldto" "Shafiq's dad, that every six" "Months myself I will come and" "Visit, and I will see shafiq's" "Life." "I will go to shafiq's school to" "Make sure that he is safe and he" "Is studying." "afghanistanisadangerous" "Country for children and adults" "Alike." "The great thing about this new" "Situation is that we've managed" "To get sahfiq away from takhar" "And away for dastager." "He's under the protection of" "Government, he's under the" "Protection even of mestary." "narrator:" "Beforehe left" "Afghanistan, najibullah had one" "Last stop to make." "He wanted to track down" "Dastager." "They finally met on the" "Outskirts of takhar." "Dastager was sticking to his" "Story." "quraishi:" "I 'mnotsurewhy he" "Continued to lie about shafiq," "But it was a tricky situation," "So I decided not to confront" "Him." "narrator:" "A monthlater,as" "News of this film reached" "Afghanistan, mestary reported" "That the afghan government was" "Taking further action." "An afghan government source" "Confirmed that police detectives" "From kabul had arrested rafi on" "Abuse charges and that dastager" "Had fled from takhar." "But just last week, sources in" "Takhar said both men were back" "In town and that rafi, no longer" "In custody, was back in" "Business, supplying boys" "For bacha bazi parties." "there'smoreon thisstoryat" "Frontlines's web site, where you" "Can watch the full program" "Again online." "¶ ¶ ¶" "Get answers to frequently asked" "Questions about this film and" "Shafiq's story." "Read more of the interviews" "With those who have researched" "And spoken out about the" "Illegal practice of bacha bazi." "onlywayyoustopbachabazi" "Is if you prosecute people who" "Actually commit the crime." "learnhowdonationsare" "Helping shafiq and his family" "In their new home." "Then share your thoughts" "About this report at pbs.Org."