Child sexual abuse rampant
We are shocked by the report of a fourth-grade girl raped under bizarre circumstances in the Chakaria Upazila of Cox's Bazar on Monday night. The alleged offender is a local vaidya (indigenous medical practitioner) who, according to our report, manipulated the wife of a mental health patient to provide him with a girl of 8-9 years for his "treatment", only to rape her later. The irrationality of the whole incident notwithstanding, this is just another confirmation of the fact that child sexual abuse is still rampant in our country. And the numbing regularity with which it is taking place shows the futility of efforts meant to protect children from such abuses.
The continuation of a culture in which sexual predators are emboldened is as much a policy failure as a law enforcement one. An alarming number of child sexual abuse cases are recorded every year. Experts note that such cases often end without a conviction of the offenders which contributes to repeat offenses. Clearly, the existing measures are not working. We feel that while the criminal justice system has a vital role to play in punishing the rapists, what's equally important is to reduce the likelihood of such abuse in the first place—through a combination of law enforcement and social measures to create an environment in which children feel safe and potential offenders are deterred. The government has a big role to play in creating this environment, together with the local communities and social organisations, and the urgency to produce results in the fight against child abuse must be felt equally across all levels.
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