Taking a hard look at violence

The only child of his parents, Rakib, who used to work at a motorcycle garage at Tutpara Central Road in Khulna city, was tortured to death on August 03, 2015 allegedly by his employers. Locals caught the two torturers - owner of Sharif Motorcycle Garage and his brother and handed them over to the local police station after giving them a good beating. The victim's father filed a case with Sadar Police Station against three people - the two killers and their mother - on August 04, 2015. Police also arrested the mother of the killers as she was present on the spot during the incident. Earlier on July 08 2015, a 13-year-old boy Sheikh Samiul Alam Rajon of Badeali village was brutally tortured to death over theft suspicion at Sundar Ali Market in Kumargaon area of Sylhet city.
Another incident of child killing occurred in Barguna. Fourth-grade Madrasa student Rabiul Awal's body was recovered on August 04, 2015 afternoon from beside a canal at Amkhola village of Taltali Upazila. The murderer dumped the body into the canal. Even child in the womb is not spared. Voicing utter frustration over the recent spate of child repression, an opposition leader on August 06, 2015 said the government should apologise to the nation over a baby being shot in her mother's womb during a clash between two groups of ruling party men in Magura. He said "Even a baby in its mother's womb is not safe now. I can't imagine how much brutal we've become"  
Repression on women and incidents of killings are also rampant in the country. Police arrested the prime suspect in the sensational Nasima murder case from Dhanmondi area of the capital on August 06, 2015. The arrestee was identified as the victim's husband. Kamrangirchar thana police recovered the decomposed body of Nasima, 25, from a multi-storey building at Rasulpur Road-1 on  June 30, 2015. Moreover, two minor girls were raped within 24 hours in the Capital on August 01, 2015. Police have arrested a man for allegedly raping a seven year-old girl in the Capital's Rayerbazar hours after a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped in the Mirpur area.
UNICEF on August 06, 2015 expressed grave concern over the recent serious violation of child rights and deaths and urged the authorities to take action against the perpetrators. As an organisation working to promote and protect child rights globally, UNICEF observes with alarm the recent incidents of children being subjected to violence and publicly beaten to death in some parts of the country. UNICEF says, "This is a serious violation of child rights and UNICEF expresses its grave concern over such issues which have shaken the entire country".
UNICEF works in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the world with the government, non- governmental organisations and the civil society to promote child rights and protect children from violence and other harmful practices, including child labour, children marriage and corporal punishment. UNICEF maintains, "It's important to note that due to the pervasive and proactive media coverage on child rights issues, incidences of child abuse, beating and even killing are now coming under sharp focus. UNICEF-Bangladesh takes this opportunity to highlight the responsible role played by the country's media in reporting such crimes against children and feels that the rights of all children, especially those from marginalised groups, will be better protected through the collective effort of all concerned".
However, the Bangladesh Parliamentary Standing Committee on women and children affairs ministry on August 06, 2015 suggested the government to ensure exemplary punishment of the culprits for the recent incidents of child repressions and killings. At its 15th meeting at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the committee also suggested the ministry concerned to take stern action against repressors and rapists to ensure justice for the helpless women. It also suggested the ministry to ensure immediate visit of the spots where the incidents took place and prompt action by the authorities concerned after the incidents. It recommended for creating mass awareness to prevent women and children repression and dowry system. The committee suggested for creating more employment opportunities for women to make them self-reliant.
In the wake of increasing violence, what is important besides taking stern action against the culprits is to look deep into the reasons for such heinous crimes that conscious citizen of the country find extremely worrying. The civil society, including the media, should put in their best to address the malady before it is too late.

The writer is a retired professor of Economics, BCS General Education Cadre.