Prostitution in Afghanistan - Reasons For Prostitution

Reasons For Prostitution

Prostitution in the country is mostly driven by poverty and displacement. Prohibition for women to work under Taliban rule meant some street children were forced into the trade in order to make a living. According to the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, females from Iran, Tajikistan, China, and possibly Uganda and other places are forced into prostitution in Afghanistan. Tajik women are believed to be trafficked through Afghanistan to other countries for prostitution. Trafficked Iranian women transit Afghanistan en route to Pakistan. Afghan women as well as boys and girls among recently returned refugees from neighboring countries were reported to be forced into prostitution, a number of children were also reported being sold into it by their family.

A 2007 University of Manitoba report suggests that there may be about 900 female prostitutes in Kabul, which is a city with a population of over 3 million. About two to three prostitution arrests were made between 2007 and 2008 each week in Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry's department of sexual crimes.

According to Afghan traditions, the shame of prostitution is so intense that sometimes those involved in such activities are assassinated by the many religious extremists found throughout the country or in some cases by family members.

"Prostitution is in every country that has poverty, and it exists in Afghanistan. But society has black glasses and ignores these problems. Tradition is honor, and if we talk about these taboos, then we break tradition." —Orzala Ashraf, women's rights activist "In our culture, it is very, very bad." —Soraya Sobhrang, Afghan Independent Human Rights Commissioner for women's affairs