U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Afghan Allies’ Abuse of Boys

[burfman]

Source: NY Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — In his last phone call home, Lance Cpl. Gregory Buckley Jr. told his father what was troubling him: From his bunk in southern Afghanistan, he could hear Afghan police officers sexually abusing boys they had brought to the base.

“At night we can hear them screaming, but we’re not allowed to do anything about it,” the Marine’s father, Gregory Buckley Sr., recalled his son telling him before he was shot to death at the base in 2012. He urged his son to tell his superiors. “My son said that his officers told him to look the other way because it’s their culture.”

Rampant sexual abuse of children has long been a problem in Afghanistan, particularly among armed commanders who dominate much of the rural landscape and can bully the population. The practice is called bacha bazi, literally “boy play,” and American soldiers and Marines have been instructed not to intervene — in some cases, not even when their Afghan allies have abused boys on military bases, according to interviews and court records.

The policy has endured as American forces have recruited and organized Afghan militias to help hold territory against the Taliban. But soldiers and Marines have been increasingly troubled that instead of weeding out pedophiles, the American military was arming them in some cases and placing them as the commanders of villages — and doing little when they began abusing children.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/world/asia/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

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WTF is going on? Respecting local culture?

Burfman

[JDPriestly]

1. Very troubling report!

[smirkymonkey]

2. But look what happens when they try to intervene. They are between a rock and a hard place.

That must be very difficult for them to deal with under such stressful conditions.

[gvstn]

3. This cultural "practice" was reported years ago.

That the U.S. military was ordered not to intervene when they are technically occupying the country is disgusting!

[douggg]

5. Since Bush placed our military members under the same

restrictions, it has become a cultural norm to accept it.

[philosslayer]

9. Absolutely

Acceptance of this behavior can be laid directly at the feet of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

[gvstn]

10. Aren't we supposed to be the greatest country on Earth?

Every time I hear that lie, it sickens me. Torture, steroid aggressive police, cut Social Security for old people. We just aren't any more.

[former9thward]

11. Ah no.

Obama has been CIC for 6 and 1/2 years now. Everything our military does or does not do became his responsibility on Jan. 20, 2009. He owns it now.

[douggg]

23. Yep!

He accepted a cultural norm created by Bush.

[Lurks Often]

4. I'm not sure what the U.S. can do to stop it.

Based on the books I have read, this is something that goes back to at least the early 1800's.

[former9thward]

12. What we can do is not allow it on U.S. controlled bases.

Very simple.

[Chemisse]

13. Exactly. We can't stop it, but we sure shouldn't be allowing it on bases.

I can't imagine how awful it must have been for our shoulders to have to hear the boys screaming, and not be able to help.

[Lurks Often]

14. Easier said then done

A base might be US controlled, but it's still Afghanistan and it's their country.

I am in no way condoning this, however I suspect any attempt to stop this would jeopardize the existing alliance/treaty and I don't think the US is willing to do that

[former9thward]

16. Since I am an advocate of a full and complete pullout

I don't care what it jeopardizes. We have lost that war. Stop killing more people.

[Lurks Often]

18. People are going to die whether we leave or stay

I'm glad I don't have to make that decision

[delrem]

20. People are going to die whether I kill them or not.

It sucks that I have to be the one making that difficult decision.

[riderinthestorm]

17. Soldiers are getting kicked out if they intervene

Of the two Green Berets mentioned in the article one has.lost his career, the other is about to.

That should stop!

[Lurks Often]

19. Agreed

[duhneece]

30. Right. Then add some educating about the long-term consequences of sex abuse for victims

We can pull off a massive public awareness of what this does to the individuals, we can provide some support by providing counselors along with soldiers, we can open clinics there, we can drop brochures: We can say, "NO ONE DESERVES TO BE RAPED...EVER" on billboards, over and over again...ok, I'm a dreamer.

[m-lekktor]

6. PBS Frontline did a documentary on this custom, "The Dancing Boys of AfgHanistan"

It played awhile back, in 2010, but it is still available online for viewing. A sad story..

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/view/

[Deny and Shred]

31. There was a documentary about

the transition from US military control to local control in Afghanistan called "This is What Winning Looks Like".

Its pretty demoralizing overall. To the point of the OP, a US commander admits the practice at 28 minutes, and a local commander does so oh so charmingly around 52 minutes.

This has been going on for a long time, and its been known by US forces on the ground.

[m-lekktor]

32. thanks for posting this!

I wasn't aware of this one. I will watch it later on tonight hopefully!

[appalachiablue]

7. K & R. Horrible. Saw a PBS Frontline program on this several years ago.

PBS, Frontline, "Dancing Boys" Bacha Bazi, Afghan Boys Bought and Trained to Entertain Men.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/view/

Bacha Bazi literally means 'playing with boys'. At age 15 or 16 the boys are often discarded and left to fend for themselves.

[tishaLA]

8. Frontline did a great report about this "practice" several years ago

It's hard to believe that the military has told people to look the other way....just awful.

Frontline link

[left-of-center2012]

15. I read that ISIS also does this

I recall reading (not on DU) about a year ago that ISIS sexually abuses boys they recruit or in captured areas.

[Iggo]

21. Our brave and honorable allies in the war on terror.

[i-should- be-working]

22. Republican family values anyone??????

this report makes me vomit

[iandhr]

24. Kind of makes you sick to your stomach doesn't?

[writer not writing]

25. Isn't homosexuality illegal over there?

Hypocrisy = Religion. ALL religion.

[awoke_in_2003]

33. It isn't homosexuality

It's rape. Funny thing is, doing this brought the death penalty under Taliban rule. They got one thing right

[appalachiablue]

26. This deplorable practice has existed in central Asia and other places for a long time.

Wiki, Bacha Bazi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacha_bazi

[demosincebirth]

27. Their culture also allows abuse of young girls, same thing.

[nsd]

28. Time to leave

We killed bin Laden. Let's declare victory and go home. Forget Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, all these countries. No more of these "cultures." Enough.

Unless we have some way of killing all the pedophiles, let's just come home.

[AtomicKitten]

29. Seymour Hersch wrote about this going on at Abu Ghraib.

Dishonorable.
Disturbing.
Disgusting.

[liberal_at_heart]

34. They would have to throw me in jail because I could not stand by and do nothing.