Bacha-Baazi: The Elite’s ‘Dancing Boys’ — and The ‘Powerful’ Silence That Protects Them

Key Highlights

• It is not heritage (at least not part of the written and recorded cultures).
• It is abuse — plain, brutal, and deeply gendered. Yet for decades, the world that so vehemently talks about crime against women and children has chosen to look the other way.
• Or maybe we have accepted this as part of their culture?Why Talk About Bacha-Baazi Now?
• Dhunrandhar Redux?With the recent film Dhurandhar gaining all the spotlight, thanks to some uncomfortable and alleged facts, the issue of Bacha-Baazi is back in debates.
• Some unsettling scenes from the film where young boys dressed as women dance before men with influence in their parties are not just the reel act but occur in reality in parts of Pakistan and, at length, in Afghanistan and beyond. AI-generated image used for representational purposes. Some truths don’t hide — we hide from them.