This society's moral degeneration is taking place at an alarming pace. Or, how could 24 children fall victim to rape in just 20 days (May 1-20) of the current month? Five of these rape victims were killed and 12 more were subjected to rape attempt. The number of child rape victims stood at 118 and another 46 experienced attempted rape, another three were killed for failure to rape them and two of the rape victims committed suicide. All such bone-chilling incidents happened from January 1 to May 20 last.
The figures speak for themselves. There is an increasing trend of this paedophilic attack on girl children. The latest two incidents ---one in Pallabi, Dhaka and the other in Chottogram---within a couple of days corroborates the fact that the paedophiles are hyperactive in this country. This nation is exposing alarming sexual aberrations through such acts. A child right organisation has found that 125 out of 308 cases of child rape in 2025 were committed by immediate neighbours; not, as was believed, by strangers. This comprises 40.58 per cent of the total. Of the predators, 13.64 are relatives and 14.61 per cent are teachers or religious instructors.
All three categories of rapists show how this society is fast becoming debased. Immediate neighbours were once the core of social protection mechanism. Trust and ethics were the binding force of neighbourhoods so that people could even leave their children to the care of their immediate neighbours in emergencies. Neighbours took the responsibility each other of protecting their young ones-boys or girls--- in absence of their parents. The child right organisation's analysis now exposes the deep moral decay and predatory instincts predominating their values and moral character.
Similarly, relatives ---no matter blood related or not--- could be trusted not to stoop so low as to take advantage of the innocence of girl children. But now there is no way of trusting relatives. How morally bankrupt society has become! Because unsuspecting underage girls do not even have the remotest inkling of inappropriate physical touch, they may become easy targets of the debauched relatives.
Then come the teachers and religious instructors. This group was supposed to uphold the value of high moral standard but much as they may pretend to be the champion of morality, they feel no qualms about turning paedophiles whenever there is a chance. Actually preceptors once were the friends, philosophers and guides in society. They set the tone of social care and bond that would enlighten their students. But today they have become morally debased.
Clearly, signals from society's strong pillars have been alarming because those are crumbling. The disadvantaged segments in society are paying more for their vulnerability to such predatory attacks. But the upper class is not totally immune from such moral decline too. The middle class has ever remained the segment that has set the social and cultural norms. Today, this class is busy making ends meet. A kind of retrogressive mindset is pushing them down the line of conservatism. Today, art, culture, music and aesthetic pursuits are no longer preferred to materialistic considerations. A disconnect between cultural mooring and studies has destabilised the social setting.
This is made worse by the digital entertainment. Easy availability of digital entertainment ----not all of which are innocent and enlightened---has opened up a vast area for exploration. Those who turn paedophilic are most likely influenced by objectionable contents. Sexual aberration has its roots ingrained in digital pornographic contents. Sports and healthy cultural entertainments could fight such aberrations.
Instead of encouraging cultural enlightenment, the nation is concentrating on material possession in a way that does not help build an inclusive society. Promotion of moral values and socio-cultural awakening can stop the rot. This calls for a coordinated campaign. But over the past two years mobocracy has highlighted all things that go against the rule of law and culture. Anarchy and attack on the Liberation Museum and the Chhayanaut and the historical memorials and monuments have given a wrong message. The interim government should take the blame for allowing this to happen. This is an attempt to make the nation rootless. This is also an ideal environment for proliferation of aberration. Now the nation needs to set things right in the interest of its posterity.
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