In its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the US State Department says the Taliban have continued to recruit and use children in Afghanistan, and in some cases, these children have been subjected to sexual slavery, including the practice of bacha bazi.
According to the report, observers say the Taliban recruited children, some as young as 12, for support roles and falsified their ages to mask their use.
Despite claims that the Taliban prohibit underage recruitment, the report found no evidence of enforcement. The Taliban did not identify or demobilize any child soldiers in 2024, nor did they investigate or prosecute any cases of bacha bazi, the report says.
Although the Taliban issued a decree in December 2024 declaring human trafficking illegal under Sharia law, the report concludes that Afghan ministries and public institutions under Taliban control failed to implement it meaningfully. The decree, observers say, conflated trafficking with migrant smuggling and was not followed by investigations, prosecutions or protective services.
The report says that instead of receiving support, many trafficking victims — including children forced into sexual exploitation or street begging — were arrested and detained without screening or referral to care. Some were held in adult prisons where they faced forced labor, abuse, and, in some cases, torture.
According to the report, civil society groups reported operating a few shelters in Kabul for women and children, but their ability to assist victims was sharply curtailed by Taliban restrictions. Taliban have limited the activities of NGOs, banned most Afghan women from working with aid agencies, and detained female staff without male guardians, creating an environment of fear and obstruction for humanitarian operations.
The report says that Afghanistan remains on Tier 3, the lowest category in the State Department’s annual trafficking report, indicating the country does not meet the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.
The State Department issued urgent recommendations, including ending the recruitment and use of children, enforcing bans on bacha bazi, identifying and assisting trafficking victims, and ceasing the punishment of victims for crimes committed as a result of their exploitation.
It also asked that trafficking victims should not be penalized for unlawful acts committed as a result of being trafficked.
The report recommends strengthening cooperation with civil society and reopening victim shelters nationwide, and enacting a comprehensive anti‑trafficking law and forming an interministerial commission to coordinate efforts.
