The way in which some artists, celebrities, and pundits are willing to overlook the rape of a child by director Roman Polanski is sickening. But as Joshua Foust points out, a similar “turn a blind eye” attitude prevails in Afghanistan, where child rape—both male and female—is a disturbingly common occurrence :
Several months ago, reports surfaced in Kandahar that Canadian troops were so disturbed by seeing rampant child abuse they had to enter counseling. Now directives have been issued, ordering Canadian troops to “stop or report” instances of child-rape (the story limited the discussion to boys, but I think reporting the rape of little girls is implicit). While it would be one thing to witness this kind of thing out in the boonies, the incidents that inspired this new directive apparently took place on Kandahar Air Field itself. On at least two separate occasions, people witnessed little boys, sometimes dressed up in wigs and makeup, being escorted into the tents of Afghan interpreters and soldiers.“Man-love Thursdays” is a running American joke across the whole country. Friday is the day of atonement for Muslims, so the joke goes, so they act extra depraved the day before.
James Joyner ask a question that echoes my own feelings on the matter: “How, precisely, are we to inculcate a Western-style civil society in a culture so utterly barbaric?”
