Friday | 10 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Friday | 10 January 2025 | Epaper

How teens becoming members of gangs

Published : Sunday, 7 July, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 415
Moinul Abedin
Teens are supposed to team up to realize all their inherent potentials in order to grow holistically,  on the contrary, if they gang up only to challenge social peace and harmony, as conscious citizens, we are to knit our brows.

Few years ago I received a call from an unknown number and the caller introduced himself as a member of a Kishor gang. He blamed that for me his friend got suspended from school for three days. I kept my cool and dealt with him through the best possible manner. Finally the boy was appeased and hung up.

I mulled over. I did not find any fault with the mischievous kid. I solely shouldered the onus on behalf of all the adults. Let me frankly explain why I thought so?

As a student of English Literature, the theme and context of William Blakes "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" flashed through my mind. Every child is born pure and innocent. Sadly this innocence is corrupted by the intrusion of outside forces. As a matter of fact nobody wants to go astray if one avails the preferable and congenial circumstances to flourish with utmost positivity.

Statistics revealed that as of June, 2023, there were 52 gangs on the list with 682 identified members in total, in 33 thanas (police station areas) under 8 crime divisions of DMP. Alarmingly, not only in Dhaka, this pernicious trend is mushrooming all over Bangladesh. Recently a dentist in Chattagram was killed while he was trying to save his son from a murderous gang of teens. People who closely read newspapers are fully aware of such several untoward occurrences.

What external forces are insidiously contributing to this societal malaise? Firstly, these unfortunate and derailed children are devoid of due parental support and intervention. Their parents lost the grips on their childrens whereabouts and activities. In slum areas this is most acute. The attention seeker teens receive neglect from their loved ones and their emotional well being remains unnoticed and unaddressed. Consequently, they turn violent.

Secondly, is our education system and infrastructure catering befitting motivation, interest and joy for learning for the teen minds? Our learners are running towards coaching centres in droves for achieving the highest GPA and real essence of learning is being missed out tragically. Values and sense of morality took the back seat. In addition, our educational institutions are not very keen on or sincere about attendance policy. Hence, a good number of truants exploit their unproductive free time by getting involved in antisocial activities.


Thirdly, it would not be an exaggeration if it is propounded that teen/kishor gangs are the by-product of unplanned urbanization.  Did we adults keep any open space for them to breathe? Did we establish required parks, playgrounds for them to ventilate their accumulated energy in a worthwhile way? Aren we suffocating them to death only  by spreading the jungle of concrete mindlessly? According to the census report recently published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), one fourth of the countrys total population is in the 15-29 age group. In numbers, the countrys current youth population is 45.9 million (4 crore and 59 lakh). If we let this vulnerable but promising age group deviate from their righteous way, who will lead the country in future?

Last but not the least, our unrestricted and unabated  digital platform is another breeding ground for this regrettable social peril and pandemic. Todays teens are living in the world of weird virtual fantasy, fake heroism and fatal misleading perceptions. Smart devices are not making them smart anyway. They do not have any real goal or purpose for life. They are wandering in a barren wasteland and any oasis is not in sight. They became the helpless witness of we adults moral degradation and corruption and netted in our dysfunctional democratic and political systems. They are suffering from a severe existential crisis and finding no other fruitful alternatives resorted to gang culture to yell out that we really exist.

Let us not ignore the issue of widespread substance abuse. This is an insidious and serious contributing factor which is luring our teens to get derailed.  Before the impending dystopia and doom, the government and concerned authorities should brave coordinated strategies to salvage our future generation. We are crossing our fingers by keeping in mind that we love the sinner but hate the sin.

The writer is a First Language English Teacher, DPS STS School, Dhaka



LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
This is right time to dismantle RAB
Beware of fireworks on the eve of new year 
Peace in Myanmar, region depends on lasting solution to Rohingya issue
What to do for physical and mental health 
Goodbye 2024: A year marked by new escalated conflicts
Accountability is a must-but how?
Comrade Moni Singh: A legend of sacrifice in politics
A better tomorrow with the awakening of 2024
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close