FARYAB (SW): A video that was received by Salam Watandar shows Abdul Salam Akhundzada, the chief commander of police in Ghormach district of Faryab, in Bacha bazi (playing with boys). In this two-minute video, Ghormach police commander is seen sitting next to a teenager; he hugs and kisses the boy.
Abdul Salam Akhundzada admitted that he is the one in the video, but he said he was thrilled to hear a good news and hence kissed that teenager boy. Akhundzada said his behavior is distorted in this video and his enemies are seeking to defame him (for having sexual relations with young boys).
Mohammad Naeem Andarabi, head of security at the Faryab Polcie Headquarters, told Salam Watandar that the video had not yet reached them. Mr. Andarabi said that if the video arrives and confirms the case, Ghormach police commander will be introduced to the prosecutor’s office.
Local human rights activists in Faryab also said that no complaints or allegations have been filled with them so far. Sayyed Hafizullah Fitrat, provincial head of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), said that he did not have a precise number of Bacha Bazi or “boy play” (where older men sexually abuse younger boys) cases in this province.
Sayyed Fitrat said, in most cases, children who work in the remote areas in the military bases, have been victims of child abuse or “Bacha bazi”. According to Mr. Fitrat, most of these children are working as cooks, worker and co-worker of the cooks.
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