Afghanistan: The Bacha Posh Tradition That Allows Girls to Access the Freedom of Boys

16 January 2022

Insights from Around the World

At not quite 8 years old, Sanam is a bacha posh: a girl living as a boy. One day a few months ago, the girl with rosy cheeks and an impish smile had her dark hair cut short, donned boys’ clothes and took on a boy’s name, Omid. The move opened up a boy’s world: playing soccer and cricket with boys, wrestling with the neighborhood butcher’s son, working to help the family make ends meet — READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE BY ASSOCIATED PRESS AT VOICE OF AMERICA

bacha posh Afghan Tradition Allows Girls to Access the Freedom of Boys
A photo of Najieh dressed as a boy at a young age lies in a grass, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. Please click on image to read full article. Photo: Associated Press.

Date posted: January 16, 2022.

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