MAILBOX

"The Song of the Sea"
Last week's spotlight was a pleasant read as it was full of information about one of our unsung heroes, Kamal Lohani. The article helped me a lot to know about Kamal Lohani who has dedicated his life to the prosperity of the country. His strong patriotism and selfless political activism are examples for our generation.  This generation who has little relation to books and cultural activities of Bangladesh got an opportunity to learn about this hero through this spotlight. This is why I really appreciate the Star Weekend's effort as well as the writer for bringing Kamal Lohani to us with precise description of his personal life and his great political activism. 
Samiul Raijul
School of Business
North South University, Dhaka

The Importance of Awareness
I'm writing to you regarding a picture that you used for an article (Published on May 22, 2015) on sexual harassment and the importance of sex education. The picture is of a woman with long hair, who is entirely wrapped in a white cloth, smeared with red splotches/ prints of palms. We can't see her face. Images carry a lot of meaning, but I also feel it is important to be aware of how we construct images and what do we represent in them. In the context of gender violence, we often like to glorify the image of a victimised woman. In this particular image, we see that happening yet again, and what is worse is that there is also an implication that she doesn't have a voice/ face/identity. My question to you is why we should portray women in this manner, when your daily has written about resistance and courageous tales of women. This image has been re-used for other editorials too. Through this one-dimensional image, we can only think of a woman with no resistance or voice, when in reality, we know that is not true.  
Saad Adnan Khan 
Researcher, Dhaka

Photo: AFP

"Tortured, Killed and Abandoned"
Recently, the brutal and inhuman practice of human trafficking shocked the world. This has been a matter of grave concern, both on national and international grounds. The poor fortune seekers have been subjected to indescribable torture and brutality by the greedy and heartless human traffickers. A number of traffickers have already been arrested. Beyond doubt, this is truly a laudable initiative by the law enforcement agencies but we need more stern actions to bring the traffickers and their patrons under trial and penalty so that no one in the future would dare to commit such a heinous crime. 
Zia Uddin
Department of International Relations, University of Chittagong
Chittagong