Joynal Abedin Khan :
The rights activists and people of various strata and professions have expressed deep concern over the recent brutality on the children across the country.
Children, particularly the working children, are severely facing lack of security to their living and at workplaces, they said.
The rights activists opined that the country is becoming the hub of child murder day by day. “Where is the end of the ongoing brutality?” they questioned.
During the last one and a half months, the brutal beating led to the death of three young boys — Saimul Islam Rajon in Sylhet, Rakibul in Khulna and Rabiul in Barguna.
On Tuesday night, the burnt and bruised body of an infant was found in a suitcase near Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Under the influence of a fake peer ‘holy man’ at Shahrasti, Chandpur, a mother beat her four-year-old daughter to death.
On the other hand, a baby girl was shot in the womb of her mother before seeing the light of the world in Magura during a factional clash of
Bangladesh Chhatra League. The baby, named Suraiya, is recovering after a major surgery at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
According to child rights body — Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) — there has been a spike in the number of child rape incidents in 2015. A total of 280 children have been raped around the country in the first six months of the year. The tally of all rapes stands at 896, it added.
Of these 280 victims, 61 were gang raped, 20 were killed after rape and four committed suicide after being raped.
The BSAF tally, including stalking, shows that 30 of the victims were aged below six, 79 belonged to the 7-12 years age group, and 80 belonged to the 13-18. The age of the remaining 91 could not be known.
The BSAF report also found that 191 children were killed in last seven months. 209 children were killed in 2012 while 218 in 2013 and 350 in 2014.
It also said that 118 children were kidnapped in 2014 while 66 rescued. In 2013, 42 were abducted and 13 killed after kidnapping.
Data compiled by the rights body also showed that the number of child rape incidents was 199 last year, 170 in 2013 and 86 in 2012.
According to police headquarters, more than 5,000 rape cases were filed in different parts of the country in the last five years. Courts have delivered verdict in only 821 cases and just about a hundred of those rapists have been punished.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki told reporters, “Though child labour is directly prohibited by our law and it is a punishable offence, we cannot enforce it all the time because a larger section of the people in the country live below the poverty line.”
Chumki said, “The government has no tendency to deny justice. Actually, most of the incidents are happening among the poor families. The influential and rich people are involved with the crimes. These criminals after committing such crimes put pressure on the victims not to file any case or they reach a compromise.”
She also said, “The government is very anxious over the recent incidents that happened. We on behalf of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry are going to sit with other ministries involved with women and child rights so that we can make concerted efforts to curb such crimes.”
Meanwhile, Women and Children Affair Parliamentary Standing Committee has expressed concern over the recent torture incidents across the country. It also proposed exemplary punishment for the criminals who are involved in child killing and torture.
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) Executive Director Sultana Kamal has said it is unbelievable to consider that the law enforcers are not involved in extrajudicial killings, rape incident and other killings.
Prof. Mahfuza Khanam, member of the National Human Rights Commission, told The New Nation, “It appears that people are first committing the crime and then easily securing bail from courts using loopholes in existing laws. After coming out, they look for another prey. This cycle of crime will go on and on as long as there are loopholes in the laws.”
Psychologist Ashoke Kumar Saha said, rape is a traumatic experience for any victims. Therefore, it is nothing abnormal if a victim does not want to recount the trauma, even before a court. There is also the social stigma associated with being raped in our society. Women do not want to talk openly about this,” he said.
Prof Zia Rahman at Dhaka University told The New Nation, “Due to a deep-rooted patriarchal thought process, boys and men alike are learning not to respect women. Institutions that work on sex education have also failed to emit adequate knowledge and raise awareness.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF Bangladesh also expressed its grave concern over the recent incidents of children being subjected to violence and publicly beaten to death in some parts of the country.
“This is a serious violation of child rights and UNICEF expresses its grave concern over such issues which have shaken the entire country,” UNICEF representative Edouard Beigbeder said in a statement on Thursday.
The rights activists and people of various strata and professions have expressed deep concern over the recent brutality on the children across the country.
Children, particularly the working children, are severely facing lack of security to their living and at workplaces, they said.
The rights activists opined that the country is becoming the hub of child murder day by day. “Where is the end of the ongoing brutality?” they questioned.
During the last one and a half months, the brutal beating led to the death of three young boys — Saimul Islam Rajon in Sylhet, Rakibul in Khulna and Rabiul in Barguna.
On Tuesday night, the burnt and bruised body of an infant was found in a suitcase near Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Under the influence of a fake peer ‘holy man’ at Shahrasti, Chandpur, a mother beat her four-year-old daughter to death.
On the other hand, a baby girl was shot in the womb of her mother before seeing the light of the world in Magura during a factional clash of
Bangladesh Chhatra League. The baby, named Suraiya, is recovering after a major surgery at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
According to child rights body — Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) — there has been a spike in the number of child rape incidents in 2015. A total of 280 children have been raped around the country in the first six months of the year. The tally of all rapes stands at 896, it added.
Of these 280 victims, 61 were gang raped, 20 were killed after rape and four committed suicide after being raped.
The BSAF tally, including stalking, shows that 30 of the victims were aged below six, 79 belonged to the 7-12 years age group, and 80 belonged to the 13-18. The age of the remaining 91 could not be known.
The BSAF report also found that 191 children were killed in last seven months. 209 children were killed in 2012 while 218 in 2013 and 350 in 2014.
It also said that 118 children were kidnapped in 2014 while 66 rescued. In 2013, 42 were abducted and 13 killed after kidnapping.
Data compiled by the rights body also showed that the number of child rape incidents was 199 last year, 170 in 2013 and 86 in 2012.
According to police headquarters, more than 5,000 rape cases were filed in different parts of the country in the last five years. Courts have delivered verdict in only 821 cases and just about a hundred of those rapists have been punished.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki told reporters, “Though child labour is directly prohibited by our law and it is a punishable offence, we cannot enforce it all the time because a larger section of the people in the country live below the poverty line.”
Chumki said, “The government has no tendency to deny justice. Actually, most of the incidents are happening among the poor families. The influential and rich people are involved with the crimes. These criminals after committing such crimes put pressure on the victims not to file any case or they reach a compromise.”
She also said, “The government is very anxious over the recent incidents that happened. We on behalf of the Women and Children Affairs Ministry are going to sit with other ministries involved with women and child rights so that we can make concerted efforts to curb such crimes.”
Meanwhile, Women and Children Affair Parliamentary Standing Committee has expressed concern over the recent torture incidents across the country. It also proposed exemplary punishment for the criminals who are involved in child killing and torture.
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) Executive Director Sultana Kamal has said it is unbelievable to consider that the law enforcers are not involved in extrajudicial killings, rape incident and other killings.
Prof. Mahfuza Khanam, member of the National Human Rights Commission, told The New Nation, “It appears that people are first committing the crime and then easily securing bail from courts using loopholes in existing laws. After coming out, they look for another prey. This cycle of crime will go on and on as long as there are loopholes in the laws.”
Psychologist Ashoke Kumar Saha said, rape is a traumatic experience for any victims. Therefore, it is nothing abnormal if a victim does not want to recount the trauma, even before a court. There is also the social stigma associated with being raped in our society. Women do not want to talk openly about this,” he said.
Prof Zia Rahman at Dhaka University told The New Nation, “Due to a deep-rooted patriarchal thought process, boys and men alike are learning not to respect women. Institutions that work on sex education have also failed to emit adequate knowledge and raise awareness.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF Bangladesh also expressed its grave concern over the recent incidents of children being subjected to violence and publicly beaten to death in some parts of the country.
“This is a serious violation of child rights and UNICEF expresses its grave concern over such issues which have shaken the entire country,” UNICEF representative Edouard Beigbeder said in a statement on Thursday.
