Madam Speaker, I would like to express deep concern over cases of sexual exploitation of boys in Afghanistan, particularly the practice of bacha bazi.
A few minutes ago, the international human rights subcommittee passed a motion condemning bacha bazi and asking our government to call upon the Afghan government to help protect vulnerable boys.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has recently raised concerns with the Afghan ambassador about this illegal exploitation.
Afghanistan has enacted laws to address children's rights and criminalize sexual abuse.
Canada now calls upon Afghanistan to continue to strengthen its laws and to ensure that they are fully enforced in order to protect Afghan children.
We are proud to invest in the future of Afghan children through development programming in education and health as part of our mission in Afghanistan.