Chlid Sex Abuse by AFG Security Forces?

[milnews.ca]

I'm sure they are and equally sure the same thing is happening in US advised elements. That is all that should be done; to make a big production out of it will simply cause the Afghans to rebel in protest at excessive interference.

I wrestle with this one a lot. The idealist in me thinks someone should be doing more, especially in the context of training cops and soldiers who are supposed to be protecting the kids who are being abused. The realist in me, though, knows that aside from OMLTs including this as part of the informal cultural back-and-forth, the Coalition military's plate is already pretty full given the balls already in the air and the timeframe involved.

It is a cultural thing that will take years to change -- if it is ever changed. We have the same sorts of problems here in the west, we're just more discreet abou it -- or more PC and won't condemn it, one or the other.

As is this, but I'm noticing a white-hot rage on this one compared to what I encounter on the abuse issue. Have to agree, though, on the "we're not there to impose our culture" - too many historic examples from all sorts of other cultures trying the same thing to be optimistic about the results of such an exercise.

This was really my point:Well said. I was railing against (a) the ignorant and self serving media and (b) complacent and possibly well intentioned but also ignorant and self serving whining from those who don't have to either understand or contend with the problem about which they whinge.

(a) Seen, and (b) as for what people say, what happened/didn't happen and why, I'd like to think the best intentions (yeah, I know, dream big), but am happy to let the BOI get to the bottom of it and share down the road.

IIRC in 2006-2007 there were reports of Afg children disappearing in the border provinces, only to be found in Pakistan minus their organs and President Karzai condemned this "harvesting".

Around the same time the UK press reported that Afg children were appearing in the UK, smuggled in, who needed to be cared for and were placed in (reluctant to act) local authority care at some cost. Shortly afterwards "relatives" would appear to claim the child, who was handed over and a tidy weekly sum paid to the "relative" for care. All the children were young boys and child slavery was suspected.

Afg is a poor country and I suspect poor families sell their children, not knowingly for "harvesting". IIRC an article on farmers selling children after a poor harvest appeared on a SWJ thread.

Thanks for sharing that - will track that down a bit (since I don't remember).

Thanks for the back-and-forth on this!