The recent incident at the Juvenile Development Centres in Jessore, in which three youths were tortured to death and 15 others injured by five staff members, is a horrifying reminder of the way our public institutions have failed the young generation of our country.
But it gets worse: For one, these JDCs illegally house inmates over the age of 18, some of whom are loyal to staff, and are used to help torture the other inmates. Additionally, other staff remained silent on the matter, and law enforcement was only informed once three of the youths had already been killed.
The inhumane nature of this incident, unfortunately, barely scratches the surface when it comes to the cruelty shown to young people at these JDCs.
The purpose of these centres is to rehabilitate, not punish -- a fact that no one at these centres seems to be aware of, and in fact, are not equipped to provide the correctional services required to allow minors to reintegrate themselves back into society.
It seems that neglect and cruelty rule the philosophy with which these extremely overcowded centres are run, with irregularities over serving food, medicine, and other essentials.
It is evident that years of governmental negligence have allowed for such a state of affairs to exist -- this is especially unforgivable considering the fact that these are young children who need help and guidance to get their lives back on track.
As such, it comes as little surprise that these incidents have led to protests, with several inmates committing suicide, unable to bear the torturous climate in which they are forced to live.
This is unbecoming of a nation that has any hope of progress. Our juvenile centres must be revamped immediately and those involved in such gruesome acts must be punished to the full extent of the law.
