MAILBOX

Photo: Prabir Das

Rotting Behind Bars
Thanks to the Star Weekend for publishing such an investigative story (published on September 4, 2015). I felt appalled when I read about the abject condition of the prisons. It is no less than a humanitarian crisis. Some people are making quick bucks by providing basic needs at high cost to the prisoners as prison authority has no intention to take care of the prisoner's needs. Even the jail guards have made themselves criminals by serving narcotics to the prisoners. Prisons are made to transform the convicts, not to make them more crime prone. One will surely be baffled witnessing such level of corruption. Aren't these prisons representing our society?
Joyonto Mukharjee
Farmgate, Dhaka

Living in Denial  
I would like to thank – the Star weekend- for bringing one of the most burning issues of our society into lights (published on August 28, 2015). It's certainly annoying when a group of transgender people suddenly barge in front of us, demanding money. They are regarded as, "the mistake of nature" but they are human beings too. Despite the fact that Bangladesh has officially recognised transgender as a separate gender, there are many more factors the government must look into. Government should create employment for these unfortunate people. NGOs and other private sector organisations should also come forward. Their dignity must be acknowledged by all of us. After all, they have all the constitutional rights as we do, right to vote, right to pay tax and right to lead a proper and dignified life.
Muhtashim Uddin Ahmed
Dhanmondi, Dhaka

The Era of Armchair Activism
The younger generation is the heart of a country. It is evident that a large part of our youth is engaged in online social media such as facebook and Twitter. Certainly these sites have many positive sides but these online social media have turned our youngsters into arm-chair activists. To protest any kind of injustice in the society, our young generation now prefers creating storm in the Facebook or Twitter to taking part in the field activities. We should realise that to solve our social problems we must reach out to our people in person. Online activism is important but not at all enough to make an impact in our society.
Bipul K Debnath
Dhaka College, Dhaka