Afghan president promises to crack down on widespread rape of boys

On Wednesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called the sexual abuse of boys, common among powerful men in the country's security forces and government, "unacceptable" and promised to prosecute pedophiles no matter their military or social rank. "Six-year-, 8-year-, 10-year-olds are raped, and I'm not going to tolerate this," he told The New York Times via videoconference. "To the extent to which the authority of the state can be harnessed to this task, we are going to focus on it and not permit it."

That won't be easy, The Times notes. Ghani said that the widespread, often ritualized rape of boys has roots in Afghanistan's "Greek and Turkish heritage," but that after speaking with U.S. Gen. John F. Campbell on Monday, the Afghan government is setting up a committee to investigate all allegations of child rape. "We will take action, ranging from removing people from the security forces to introducing them to the courts."

The pederasty was thrust into the news after The Times published an article Sunday about U.S. troops facing punishment for beating up an Afghan commander with an alleged sex slave. "I want to make absolutely clear that any sexual abuse or similar mistreatment of others, no matter the alleged perpetrator or victim, is completely unacceptable and reprehensible," Campbell said in a statement, adding that he has ordered troops to tell their commanding officers about any such accusations.

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