By Mohammad Kamal Uddin A five-year-old child. His name was Jaihan.
He had barely begun to understand the world around him. His world was simple—falling asleep in his mother’s arms, holding his father’s hand while walking, and playing joyfully with friends. But that innocent world came to a sudden and tragic end. After days of uncertainty following his disappearance, his body was finally recovered—stuffed inside a sack and discarded among waste. A child whose face should have been filled with laughter was found lifeless in circumstances too painful to comprehend. For any civilized society, few tragedies can be more shameful. Jaihan’s death is not merely a private tragedy for one family. It is a painful question directed at our state, our society, our families, and our collective humanity. Today, we mourn. But beyond mourning, we must engage in deep self-reflection. Because when a child is murdered, it is not only a life that is lost. Part of our humanity, our sense of responsibility, our social security, and our conscience dies with that child. What Happened After His Disappearance? After Jaihan went missing, his family filed a General Diary (GD) with the police. When a father walks into a police station and says, “Please find my child,” he is placing his last hope in the system. Naturally, questions arise.
Did the search begin quickly enough after the report was filed? Were the critical first hours treated with the urgency they deserved? Were all available resources deployed when every minute could have meant the difference between life and death? These questions must be answered through a transparent investigation. Citizens have every right to ask them because, in cases involving missing children, the first few hours are often the most crucial.
In many countries, reports of missing children trigger immediate emergency alerts involving law enforcement agencies, media organizations, transportation networks, and social media platforms. Bangladesh, too, must begin treating child disappearances not as routine incidents but as urgent security emergencies. Credit Where It Is Due
It is equally important to acknowledge that the Chattogram District Police ultimately succeeded in uncovering the truth through technology-based investigation, intelligence operations, CCTV analysis, evidence collection, and coordinated field operations.
This undoubtedly reflects professional investigative work. Yet one painful reality remains.
The mystery has been solved. Suspects have been arrested. But Jaihan did not come back alive. His mother could not get her child back. His father could not embrace his beloved son again. That is the deepest sorrow of all. Why Are Child Murders Increasing? Over the past several years, Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in cases of child murder, abduction, sexual violence, and abuse. Almost every day, newspapers carry heartbreaking reports of children becoming victims of brutality. Some are raped and then murdered. Others are abducted and killed. Some become casualties of family disputes, property conflicts, or personal vengeance. Others fall victim to individuals with deeply disturbed and violent mindsets. The question we must confront is this: Are we gradually becoming a society where even the lives of children are no longer sacred? Child Sexual Abuse: A Blow to Civilization Every act of child sexual abuse is more than a crime; it is an assault on humanity itself. When an adult sexually abuses a child, they do more than violate the law. They betray the most fundamental principles of human decency. And when such abuse is followed by murder, the crime becomes even more horrifying. Sadly, perpetrators are often not strangers. Many allegations involve neighbors, relatives, teachers, trusted family acquaintances, or individuals within a child’s immediate social circle. This reality exposes profound weaknesses in our social structures and systems of trust. Where Is Our Humanity Going? There was a time when people in rural Bangladesh treated their neighbors’ children as their own. Communities offered protection, care, and collective responsibility.
Today, many parents feel compelled to worry even about those living next door.
Why? Because while we have made remarkable economic progress, we have not always progressed at the same pace morally and ethically. We have become more educated, yet not necessarily more compassionate. We have advanced technologically, yet often neglected the cultivation of conscience, empathy, and moral responsibility. Across families, communities, and institutions, signs of ethical decline are increasingly visible.
What Should the State Do? Child protection must be treated as a matter of national security and public welfare. Several measures deserve urgent consideration:
Establish emergency child-missing response units in every police station. Create specialized child rescue task forces in every district. Make child safety and personal protection education mandatory in schools. Ensure the swift investigation and trial of child abuse and child murder cases. Impose exemplary punishment on those who commit crimes against children. Strengthen implementation of existing laws rather than relying solely on new legislation. Justice delayed often becomes justice denied. The Responsibility of Families
Parents and guardians also have a critical role to play. They must remain aware of where their children go, whom they interact with, and where they spend their time. Children should be taught age-appropriate safety practices and encouraged to communicate openly with trusted adults. Equally important, parents must create an environment where children feel safe sharing fears, concerns, or uncomfortable experiences without hesitation.
Often, a child’s silence hides important warnings. Listening carefully can save lives.
What Has Jaihan’s Death Taught Us? Jaihan’s death has reminded us that even the most vulnerable members of society are not always safe. A child can become the victim of hatred, greed, revenge, exploitation, or a distorted mindset. His death has exposed an uncomfortable truth: Development alone does not create civilization. Civilization is built upon humanity. Civilization is built upon justice. Civilization is built upon the ability to protect children. Final Words Today, Jaihan is gone. Perhaps his toys still lie in a corner of his home. Perhaps his schoolbag still waits silently. Perhaps his mother still struggles to accept that her son will never return. Perhaps his father carries a grief too deep for words.
As a nation, we must listen to that grief. Because Jaihan’s death is not only a family tragedy—it is a challenge to the conscience of Bangladesh. If we fail to act now, if we fail to make child protection a national priority, if we fail to restore our moral and human values, then another child may be lost tomorrow. And once again, we will mourn, protest, issue statements, and express outrage. But we will never be able to bring that child back.
Children are like flowers. Protecting them is not solely the responsibility of the state—it is a moral, social, and human obligation shared by all of us. In memory of Jaihan, let us make a collective promise: No child should ever become a victim of violence, exploitation, revenge, or abuse. No mother should have to endure such unbearable loss. No innocent childhood should end in fear and tragedy