“Ignoring Sexual Abuse in Afghanistan” The New York Times
The Editorial Board September 22, 2015 “Bacha bazi,” or boy play, is the practice of sexual child abuse of children in Afghanistan. It is especially pronounced in the armed forces who control “rural regions and have sway over the population there” (Blow). Often times boys can be heard screaming through the night as they are being attacked by Afghan police officers: usually three or four men are found lying on the floor with children between them. Just as offensive is that American soldiers and Marines who want to intervene cannot. They received orders from their superiors to ignore the abusive behavior by their Afghan allies. They reasoned that the behavior was just a part of culture. American service members who opposed the …show more content…
In 2011, Captain Quinn beat up an Afghan militia commander for keeping a boy chained to his bed. In effect the Army relieved Captain Quinn of his command; he has since left the army. Now the Army is trying to relieve Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, Quinn’s accomplice in the incident. The spokesman for American command in Afghanistan, Col. Brian Tribus, argues that the child abuse committed by the Afghan men is a matter of domestic criminal law. This would be fine if Afghanistan actually reprimanded its sexual abusers. Back in 2010, two Marine officers persuaded the Afghan the authorities to arrest a police commander after expressing supporting the Taliban and committing child abuse. Two years later, however he was back in a different unit. Trius argues that the rape is not
The Editorial Board September 22, 2015 “Bacha bazi,” or boy play, is the practice of sexual child abuse of children in Afghanistan. It is especially pronounced in the armed forces who control “rural regions and have sway over the population there” (Blow). Often times boys can be heard screaming through the night as they are being attacked by Afghan police officers: usually three or four men are found lying on the floor with children between them. Just as offensive is that American soldiers and Marines who want to intervene cannot. They received orders from their superiors to ignore the abusive behavior by their Afghan allies. They reasoned that the behavior was just a part of culture. American service members who opposed the …show more content…
In 2011, Captain Quinn beat up an Afghan militia commander for keeping a boy chained to his bed. In effect the Army relieved Captain Quinn of his command; he has since left the army. Now the Army is trying to relieve Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, Quinn’s accomplice in the incident. The spokesman for American command in Afghanistan, Col. Brian Tribus, argues that the child abuse committed by the Afghan men is a matter of domestic criminal law. This would be fine if Afghanistan actually reprimanded its sexual abusers. Back in 2010, two Marine officers persuaded the Afghan the authorities to arrest a police commander after expressing supporting the Taliban and committing child abuse. Two years later, however he was back in a different unit. Trius argues that the rape is not