Sagar Biswas :
The incidents of child killing have increased alarmingly in the recent days. A total of 1,085 children were murdered in different parts of the country over the last four years.
Of the victims, 292 were killed in 2015, 366 in 2014, 218 in 2013 and 209 in 2012. Besides, 152 children were murdered in the first three months of the current year. In this ratio, the total number of killings will be over 600 in the end of the year.
The above figure of child killing was disclosed at a seminar organized by Action for Social Development held at YWCA auditorium on Wednesday. The keynote paper was represented by ASD Project Officer UKM Farhana Sultana.
It was found in the study that, the incidents of repression and torture on the children had increased about 225 percent in 2015 in comparison to previous year [2014], and it will break all the preceding records this year [2016].
In this situation, the study recommended to take proper initiatives by the concerned authorities against the child killings along with all sorts of torture and repression.
On July 24, a 10-year-old boy was killed after co-workers inserted the nozzle of a high-pressure air pump into his rectum and turned it on. The boy Sagor Borman worked at a textile mill in Narayanganj, died instantly.
Another 12-year-old boy working at a motorcycle workshop was killed in the same way after he had tried to quit his job in August. After that, at least four other children were killed in different parts of the country in the same horrific manner.
Not only that, the killings of children by the parents are also frequently taking place in this country.
In an incident, Nusrat Aman Oroni, 14, and her brother Alvi Aman, 6, were killed at their Banasree home in Dhaka on February 29. Later, their mother Mahfuza Malek Jasmine had confessed about the killings during police interrogation.
Against this backdrop, a 10-point recommendation was placed to prevent child killing and repression. Of them, the wide publicity of toll-free helpline telephone number 1098 is remarkable.
Besides, it was suggested to build up the socially-neglected children as skilled manpower involving them with information technology. At the same time, it was also recommended to take initiatives for socio-economic empowerment of the poor families living at rural and city slum areas.
Urging the government to take tough measures against child murder, it was also recommended in the study to bring the child-abusers to book.
Meanwhile, the experts have also pointed to a number of causes – a rapidly changing society, high ambition, too little punishment of offenders and the impact of television and the internet – as the vital reasons behind increasing child killings.
About killing of own children by parents, the experts have opined that extramarital affairs of father and mother sometimes drive them to kill their own offspring as a way of severing ties with each other.
According to the experts, the child murders fall into two categories – murders where near relatives are involved and those committed by the outsiders. Especially in the second type of murder – unemployment is a major cause of crimes against children where some unemployed frustrated youths see crimes as an easy way to make money.
“The increase in the gap between real life and expectations correlates with a rise in crime. One’s frustrated aspirations can lead to violent crime where children are easy prey,” Dr Shah Ehsan Habib, Professor of Sociology Department, Dhaka University, said.
Some senior police officials, however, said that absence of witnesses is the major problem in prosecution of such cases.
The incidents of child killing have increased alarmingly in the recent days. A total of 1,085 children were murdered in different parts of the country over the last four years.
Of the victims, 292 were killed in 2015, 366 in 2014, 218 in 2013 and 209 in 2012. Besides, 152 children were murdered in the first three months of the current year. In this ratio, the total number of killings will be over 600 in the end of the year.
The above figure of child killing was disclosed at a seminar organized by Action for Social Development held at YWCA auditorium on Wednesday. The keynote paper was represented by ASD Project Officer UKM Farhana Sultana.
It was found in the study that, the incidents of repression and torture on the children had increased about 225 percent in 2015 in comparison to previous year [2014], and it will break all the preceding records this year [2016].
In this situation, the study recommended to take proper initiatives by the concerned authorities against the child killings along with all sorts of torture and repression.
On July 24, a 10-year-old boy was killed after co-workers inserted the nozzle of a high-pressure air pump into his rectum and turned it on. The boy Sagor Borman worked at a textile mill in Narayanganj, died instantly.
Another 12-year-old boy working at a motorcycle workshop was killed in the same way after he had tried to quit his job in August. After that, at least four other children were killed in different parts of the country in the same horrific manner.
Not only that, the killings of children by the parents are also frequently taking place in this country.
In an incident, Nusrat Aman Oroni, 14, and her brother Alvi Aman, 6, were killed at their Banasree home in Dhaka on February 29. Later, their mother Mahfuza Malek Jasmine had confessed about the killings during police interrogation.
Against this backdrop, a 10-point recommendation was placed to prevent child killing and repression. Of them, the wide publicity of toll-free helpline telephone number 1098 is remarkable.
Besides, it was suggested to build up the socially-neglected children as skilled manpower involving them with information technology. At the same time, it was also recommended to take initiatives for socio-economic empowerment of the poor families living at rural and city slum areas.
Urging the government to take tough measures against child murder, it was also recommended in the study to bring the child-abusers to book.
Meanwhile, the experts have also pointed to a number of causes – a rapidly changing society, high ambition, too little punishment of offenders and the impact of television and the internet – as the vital reasons behind increasing child killings.
About killing of own children by parents, the experts have opined that extramarital affairs of father and mother sometimes drive them to kill their own offspring as a way of severing ties with each other.
According to the experts, the child murders fall into two categories – murders where near relatives are involved and those committed by the outsiders. Especially in the second type of murder – unemployment is a major cause of crimes against children where some unemployed frustrated youths see crimes as an easy way to make money.
“The increase in the gap between real life and expectations correlates with a rise in crime. One’s frustrated aspirations can lead to violent crime where children are easy prey,” Dr Shah Ehsan Habib, Professor of Sociology Department, Dhaka University, said.
Some senior police officials, however, said that absence of witnesses is the major problem in prosecution of such cases.
