Editorial
Brutality against children
Show zero tolerance to it
Recent reports on two ghastly murders of minor boys in Dinajpur and Sylhet by youths are shocking reminder of how brutalised our society has become.
The Dinajpur incident, in which the teacher of a coaching centre along with his accomplices murdered a child of six and critically injured his eight-year-old brother on the suspicion that they stole his bicycle, was one of taking revenge in a senseless and brutal manner. On the other hand, the second case of barbaric killing of an 11-year-old boy in Sylhet was the act of criminals whose motive was to take the boy hostage for extorting ransom from his father.
Though the circumstances and the nature of the two killings were different, the common thread that binds them is that in both cases it was small children who had to pay in blood to satisfy the wrath or greed of their elders.
Why are children being victimised in such a manner? Has something gone seriously wrong in our social psyche so that seniors have forgotten that children deserve to be treated with utmost affection, love and care?
We have no correct statistics on such acts of mindless violence being committed against children day in, day out. A closer scrutiny of news reports in the print and electronic media will reveal a very horrific picture of violence being committed against minor boys and girls in the country. Many more of these incidents go unreported in the media.
From the number and frequency of the incidents, a pattern emerges. Society is getting intolerant and the weak and the vulnerable are being increasingly made to bear the onslaught of the physically stronger youths and adults.
While taking recourse to the provisions of law to bring these perpetrators of lethal violence against children to justice, society at large, too, has a responsibility to resist the pernicious trend. Conscientious citizens, social thinkers, the child rights bodies and all others concerned should put their heads together to protect children from all forms of violence.
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