Child abuse
Childhood is supposed to be the most beautiful phase of human life. Looking through the innocent eyes the child begins to discover the wonderful world to be lived in. But today children are exploited, abused and vigorously tortured. We have seen in Bangladesh an alarming increase in cases related to child murder, rape, child labour, child trafficking, etc. To say that the recent frequent incidents of gruesome violence against children are deplorable will be an understatement really. It is nothing short of a crying shame for a society when its smallest and most vulnerable members are not protected from violence. Violence against children is the most pervasive, dangerous, silent horror of our time. Many cases of violence against children go unreported, leaving children in vulnerable situations in which their health, safety and, as we have observed, their lives are at risk. Many children are too young to report harm, and in some communities, there is intense pressure to keep domestic or sexual abuse a secret because of cultural views or fear of reprisal.
The dependency of children and especially traditional beliefs that grownups have total rights over children has exposed children to violence. On top of this traditional beliefs that say children are not reliable witnesses, has on time and time again resulted in not listening to or ignoring childrens complaints or cries for help. Experts have said that lack of exemplary punishment meted out to the perpetrators of violence against children has resulted in a culture of impunity. Children are mostly targeted or we can say children are in high risk for abuse and exploitation.
This growing violence regrettably affects on childs physical and mental development, dignity, and psychological veracity. Children are the future of the nation---the building blocks of an expanding democracy. Children should be growing up in safe, nurturing environments, free of fear and free to fulfill their potential. This is achievable if all schools, media, parents and governments step up their existing efforts to stop violence against children.
The government must formulate a comprehensive policy to counteract the various forms of violence against children. However often in this country the policy initiatives undertaken by the government remain ineffective in face of a weak implementation regime. Furthermore, efforts to formulate an all encompassing policy to counteract violence against children are hampered by the absence of a reliable quantitative information base which would highlight the forms and magnitude of the problem in Bangladesh.
