The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban must end the unlawful recruitment and use of children in armed groups and enforce a ban on sexual slavery practices such as bacha bazi, the U.S. State Department said in its annual human rights report released Tuesday.
The report, which highlights widespread abuses in
Afghanistan under Taliban rule, called on the group to immediately demobilize
children from combat roles and provide adequate protection and reintegration
support. It also urged Taliban leaders at all levels to crack down on the
sexual exploitation of boys, a practice that persists despite international
condemnation.
Beyond child abuse, the report pressed the Taliban to step
up efforts to combat human trafficking, including by screening vulnerable
groups such as returning migrants, children forced into street begging, and
people in commercial sex work. Victims, it said, should be referred to
nongovernmental and international organizations for protection rather than
punished for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
The State Department also called for greater cooperation
with civil society groups that assist trafficking victims and urged the Taliban
to reopen victim shelters across the country.
The report recommended that Afghan authorities enact and
enforce a comprehensive anti-trafficking law criminalizing all forms of human
trafficking and establish an inter-ministerial commission to coordinate
efforts.
The findings underscored what U.S. officials described as
systemic violations of human rights under Taliban rule, particularly against
children and marginalized populations.
