We often forget how young boys too are susceptible to the malicious eyes of sexual predators, who will stop at nothing. An eight-year old boy was gang-raped and killed recently in Noakhali.

The boy was lured into a tin-shed by four men under the pretext of treats and was sexually assaulted. He was later taken to the hospital when he fell sick but instead of admitting him for treatment, the perpetrators took him back to the shed and killed him. It is appalling how human beings have stooped this low and how they are not even sparing children from their barbarity. There is something definitely wrong with their pattern of thinking. It is hard to understand their paedophilic tendencies because no research is being done as to why such behaviour is becoming so pervasive in our society.

I am afraid this problem has become way too widespread to be nipped in the bud but serious investigation should be done to delve into how their minds are functioning so we can understand where we are going wrong more concretely. Additionally, these offenders should receive the harshest of punishments so as to deter other individuals with similar mentality from ruining the life of another child—be it a girl or a boy.

Atika Rahman, by email