BACHA BAAZI- THE HIDDEN PREDATORS

 The first time I sold myself, I didn't have money—the words of a boy who sold his body when he was eight and a half years old. According to the first and only national child labor survey in 1996, about 3.3 million Pakistani children are trapped in child labor. This number has been increasing since 1996, and now, according to different surveys, almost 12 million children are involved in child labor in Pakistan (HRCP, 2018). Millions of such children do not have a home to go to, so what happens to them is a horror for mankind.

Pedophilia, commonly known as "Bacha Baazi" in Pakistan, is spread throughout the country, but Peshawar has a deep history. Pakistan not only shares the longest border with Afghanistan but also has a dark history of bacha baazi dating back to the 1700s. There is a boy across the river with a bottom like a peach, but alas! I cannot swim." Khushal Khan Khattak, c. 1700 [Return of a King, p. 17]. Scottish historian William Dalrymple writes in his book 'The Return of a King' how a Pakhtun leader and poet has expressed his desire for a boy. Attributing such an obscene couplet to a leader is challenged by other historians, and it might not be true. The real dilemma is how the original poetry got altered and became one of the most played songs among the Pathan soldiers during the British Raj with extremely obscene lyrics. This song was played on loudspeakers in Afghanistan before partition. This malpractice in Afghanistan and Peshawar is deeply rooted in the culture on both sides of the Durand Line.
Preying on young boys is the biggest entertainment for drivers across Pakistan. According to a local survey that was reported in the documentary "Pakistan's Hidden Shame," 95% of truck drivers

admitted that having sex with boys was their favorite entertainment. As they move from Sindh to Karakoram, the drivers like to keep young boys to accompany them during this journey. A human rights lawyer, Zia Awan said that it is a culture among drivers to keep young boys as sexual partners.

According to the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), there are more than 1.5 million street children in Pakistan. These children often hang around the bus terminals, where beds are laid in the open air at night for the drivers to rest. These places at night become a horror for children as these men rape and bribe minor boys for sexual purposes. Sometimes the children have no choice but to accept these offers because of poverty and extreme hunger. 
Discussing this topic is taboo in Pakistan, as people do not want to talk about such matters. The government does not prioritize this as a major issue leading to serious consequences. Sexually abused children face severe psychological problems that lead them towards drug addiction and becoming abusers themselves. According to Sahil's January to June 2023 report, a total of 2,227 cases of child abuse were reported, with more boys (593) than girls (457) being abused between the ages of 6 and 15. Imagine what the future generation will become if such a large percentage of children keep on facing sexual abuse each day.

I never thought that behind the colorful trucks and buses lies such a dark reality. It is to clarify that bacha baazi is not associated with Pashtuns only. It is not the ethnicity of the culprits but the fact that they live in a lawless land where they have the power to use and abuse the vulnerable segment of society. This is a serious issue brought up by foreign researchers and human rights activists. However, the Pakistani people are not yet ready to discuss this sensitive topic openly. As a result, this hidden shame is not openly discussed in the media or newspapers. This writing is to call out all the pedophiles that are freely moving across Pakistan and the people who aid them.