Effective Steps Must Be Taken to Reduce Public Concern

Newspapers have recently reported many events from across the country. These events show how much decay has taken place in our society’s morals, values, and family and religious discipline.

These events include a husband drinking poison along with his three children due to family unrest. They also include the mysterious deaths of a husband, wife, and child of the same family inside their home. Other cases include the beating and injury of a wife’s brother after he protested a dowry demand, and the death of a young woman after a gang rape.

Alongside these cases, two incidents shook the whole country yesterday. The first involves Ms. Nahida Begum, a teacher at Comilla University, whose only child went missing.

Her son, Ishrat Shahriar Opratim, was a seventh grade student, 13 years old. His body was later found on a hill near the university. The second incident involves Mr. Azmal Hossain, a first year English department student at North Western University in Khulna, who died after being tortured over a rice sharing dispute and falling from a rooftop.

News reports say a group of suspected teen gang members called Opratim away. They lured him by asking him to take photos with his mother’s iPhone, which he had with him, and then killed him.

Before this, his mother, Ms. Nahida Begum, had posted on Facebook asking for help finding her missing son. University students and law enforcement teams then began searching for him.

His body was eventually found on the hill. This incident caused shock across the entire country. Police first said the killers wanted to steal the iPhone, but they are still checking whether other reasons lie behind the murder.

In the Khulna case, Mr. Azmal Hossain lived in a student mess. Mess rules required residents to inform staff two hours in advance if they wanted to eat.

Azmal did not give notice and ate another resident’s rice. Other mess members beat him for this and took him to the rooftop.

There, they tortured him badly. He later fell from the roof and died from his injuries.

Such incidents are happening almost every day across the country. Some make headlines, while others remain hidden from public view.

Murders over trivial matters, suicides driven by family conflict and resentment, and mysterious deaths of entire families are becoming common. Rape, theft, robbery, and teen gang violence also occur regularly.

Each of these events feels unimaginable and tragic when it comes to light. We are left with no choice but to feel shaken by such heartbreaking incidents.

These events raise a serious question. How much has our family, social, and religious values declined for such incidents to happen?

People are asking whether basic humanity and conscience are disappearing from society. Do the country’s rulers bear any responsibility for this? They certainly do.

Family and society form the foundation of any state and government. If a country’s family and social systems fall into disorder, then no amount of development truly helps that nation.

Many countries around the world have focused only on development and lost social order and safety in the process. Several nations in Latin America and Africa have seen their family and social systems collapse due to civil war.

Countries such as South Africa, Colombia, and Uganda have seen their societies break down in this way. These nations could not fix their social systems, and people there have little real safety.

Yet large development projects continue in these countries. It goes without saying that development becomes meaningless when a society remains disorderly and lawless.

Development exists for the people of a country. If those people become reckless and lose their morals and human values, then development loses its true worth.

Our own government also seems to be rushing toward development while ignoring the decline of family and social discipline. The country’s leaders show little focus on building a balanced and orderly society.

They do not appear concerned about the ongoing decline in family and social values. Instead, they focus mainly on building large projects and structures.

Economic development for the country is certainly necessary. But does such development serve any purpose if society remains in disorder?

If families and society lose their values, can that country remain stable and peaceful? It cannot.

The shocking family and social incidents occurring almost daily reflect nothing but a severe decline in values. For a long time now, a section of the country’s teenagers has turned into organized gangs.

At times, even law enforcement agencies appear to struggle against them. Their brutal acts across the capital and other parts of the country show how difficult these gangs have become to control.

These gangs now engage in drug use, drug trafficking, murder, and rape. Most of these young people come from low income families.

Since their parents work as laborers and stay away from home from morning until evening or night, these children grow up without proper guidance or discipline. As a result, they knowingly or unknowingly fall into criminal activities.

Criminals find it easy to use them for illegal work. In most criminal incidents, signs of teen gang involvement can be found.

Behind these social and family incidents lie several major causes. These include a lack of awareness, impatience, and a growing tendency to ignore religious discipline.

Excessive addiction to technology, among both parents and young family members, has become a serious threat to family and social values. Social media now spreads every kind of content, both positive and negative, within moments.

Dishonest groups spread videos, photo cards, and AI generated videos that promote banned and criminal activities. These materials cause serious harm to family and social values.

Many people get influenced by such content and fall into criminal behavior. Technology cannot be denied or avoided.

However, no clear guidelines exist from families, society, or the government on its proper use. As a result, people from nearly every class of society are getting involved in some form of crime.

It goes without saying that the shocking and tragic events happening recently stem from a severe decline in conscience and values.

Every society in the world experiences some level of crime and unwanted incidents. However, family discipline, social values, and religious guidance play a far greater role in preventing such incidents than law enforcement alone.

Historically and traditionally, our families and society have been built on strong values. But the decline seen in recent years has deeply worried conscious citizens.

The incidents mentioned above have increased public concern and a sense of insecurity. Our society seems to be turning into a selfish society.

Mutual empathy, compassion, and coexistence have weakened significantly. The country’s leaders bear responsibility for this situation.

In their pursuit of development, they continue to ignore the decline of family and social values. They talk mainly about large projects and technological growth, rather than moral and religious development.

They show little concern that a significant part of the younger generation is going astray. It goes without saying that no development can succeed if society remains in disorder.

To make development truly beneficial, there is no alternative to building a disciplined society. The government should create special plans and awareness programs to stop the decline of family, social, and religious values, and to strengthen them.

It should consult religious scholars and sociologists to create guidelines and ensure these are shared through all media channels. Motivational programs should begin at the family and community level.

Elected representatives and respected figures in society should play an active role in building moral values within their own areas. Extortion by ruling party leaders and workers has almost become an institutional practice.

The government must adopt a zero tolerance policy on this issue. Law enforcement agencies must remain firm in stopping crime.

Criminals must be arrested quickly and given exemplary punishment to prevent repeat offenses. Drugs, the root cause of most crimes, must be eliminated at any cost.