Rebecca Hu
I completely agree that forcing innocent boys into property "party favor" / prostitutes is criminal and should be stopped by authority. Having said that, I think the phenomenon of Bacha Bazi deserves a closer and more complex examination once the illicit aspects of it has been addressed. What I mean is, this raises more questions, such as why is Bacha Bazi so demonized while other similar practices like pornography, geishas, transgendered entertainers in Thailand, etc, is tolerated, even celebrated? Again, before any trolls start flaming me online, I'm just opening up an avenue through which sexuality can be viewed, its behavior in cross-cultural societies surveyed, and the limits of sexual decency redefined. When America makes Sasha Grey a celebrity, and makes reality tv stardom of toddlers and tiaras (yes, a very tasteless show, but one that has profit and fandom to show in the industry nonetheless), what makes dancing boys so much more gruesome a case? At what point do we draw the line of taboo and crime, and at what point do we leave it up to personal freedom and sexual tolerance? Finally, at what point do we look at Bacha Bazi and call it "art"? (I am referring to the boy who claimed that dancing is his passion, and that he is self-motivated to pursue Bacha Bazi. I'm trusting that while exploitation and sexual slavery exist, so does the case where boys in pursuit of a career enter the industry on their own terms).