By Md. Zillur Rahaman

Recently two brilliant students of Class-X were brutally killed and another seriously injured in a stabbing by a gang of teenagers in Bauphal, Patuakhali.

The incident created a sensation in the area. According to media sources, the incident took place at Indrakul Secondary School in Surjamoni Union of Bauphal Upazila around 4 pm on Wednesday (March 22).

It is learnt that there was a farewell ceremony for SSC students in the school on that day and after the ceremony, on the way to home after the ceremony, the ninth class students attacked on a bridge near the school. Reportedly, the assailants are members of teenagers' gangs and do various misdeeds under the control of influential people in various places, they also do not go to school properly.

In fact, the "gang culture" of rising teenagers all over the country has become dangerous day by day. Before crossing the school-college barrier, the reckless behavior of a section of teenagers has now become a cause of panic in the neighborhood.

After each of these incidents, the local administration, local public representatives and concerned parents were seriously embarrassed. It is known that after the killing of Adnan Kabir in Uttara Sector 13 in January 2017, the issue of this 'gang culture' came to limelight before the concerned authorities.

These youths, who are active under the name of 'Nine Star' and 'Disco Boys', are mainly involved in 'partying', driving motorcycles at high speed while honking their horns and harassing girls on the streets. After that, the scope of these groups increased gradually and each group consists of 10 to 20 members of teenagers aged 15-20 years. A number of juvenile gangs have come into the limelight in the last few years by causing various incidents across the country including Dhaka and Chittagong.

In the past few years, the delinquent teenage gang culture has grown exponentially. The scoundrels hang out in front of the educational institution all day long. Moreover, the nuisance of rascals and juvenile gangsters has increased at an alarming rate in educational institutions. Therefore, girls are also constantly being sexually harassed.

In the face of sexual harassment, many students are forced to leave their studies. Not just sexual harassment, public life has become unsafe as teenage gangsters become reckless in criminal activities. Incidents like murders are happening while harassing the opponent. Law enforcement agencies are also alarmed and concerned about the emergence of gang culture among teenagers.

No one involved is over eighteen. Some study, some do business, some do nothing. Their reckless nature, speech and behavior are also quite fierce. They went in groups to announce their position in the area. Starting from eve teasing, these teenagers get involved in various criminal activities. In the meantime, the activities of juvenile gangs have been discussed in various incidents. Psychologists say, to make life colorful, many people step on this path of destruction without realizing it.

Basically the youth gangs stay in tea shops or some special places in outskirts of the city. Various crimes are being organized by them. In particular, teenage gangs or terrorist groups commit all terrible crimes including motorcycle theft, yaba consumption, extortion, sale and consumption of alcohol, taking money from hostages. Due to the increasing day-by-day hooliganism or juvenile gang crime, extreme anxiety has arisen in the city. Parents are extremely alarmed as there is no way to prevent them socially.

Teenagers' gang culture and juvenile delinquency are the most pressing social issues of today. To solve this problem, first of all, it is necessary to identify its cause. Many say lack of good family education and moral religious education is mainly responsible for this.

In this case, the family should be the most aware and adequate family time should be given to teenagers without leaving them alone or isolated. Parents should come forward first. It is possible to prevent children from getting involved in bad culture like gangs if you can adequately monitor what the child does, who he hangs out with, where he spends his time. Apart from this, there is no alternative to ensure the education of religious and moral values.

In fact, in today's society, as the sense of responsibility of the family decreases and its importance is minimized, the attraction of its members is decreasing day by day. As a result, none of the parents, brothers and sisters are feeling the love, compassion, love and responsibility towards anyone. We are tired of chasing this materialistic society. Both the parents are not able to give the necessary time to the child due to running after job and money.

As a result, children do not care for parents or elders. A breakdown and disaster occurs in the family system over a small matter. Boys and girls are following and imitating them and later these are reflected in them. In many cases it is failing to even show a minimum sense of humanity and compassionate.

The family does not get the real education of being human. As both the parents are working, they are unable to pay due attention to the child's education even if they want to. As a result, children are being deprived of moral values and good education under the supervision of tutors or housekeepers and many children are going astray, which is causing extreme concern to individuals, society and the state.

Family education is of immense importance in mental development and moral character formation. Basically the child's education is in the hands of the mother. Children get primary education from the family. As a result, the family is the first education center of the human child. A child's values, character, consciousness and beliefs are born from the family.

As parents nurture ideals, their children try to capture and nurture them. A family is like a well-tended garden full of love and affection where each member gets ample opportunity to develop his character. Being full of moral qualities, they beautify and charm the surroundings. It is a safe haven that is able to protect the child from all external disturbances and attacks.

We can get educated by studying in academic institutions, get a higher degree by being talented and get a name abroad even beyond the borders of the country; But if we don't get good education from our family, all our education fades away. What every human needs most is family moral education. Because civility, politeness, morality, sense of gratitude, respect for others, philanthropy, liberal mindedness - these cannot be acquired much from institutional education. These are based on nurturing family values and good education.

At present, focusing on family and society, the aspect of characterlessness is particularly evident. People from different levels of society, including parents, siblings, neighbors, consider the importance of religious aspect absolutely unimportant for the needs of character. However, parents and officials should come forward to shape the character of the youth of the family and society.

To eliminate drugs and terrorism, we should not only campaign for people, but take practical initiatives. For this, the utmost importance should be given to following religious precepts in character building. Youth should be made interested in religious discipline. Islam or any religion never supports anything that is ugly, unattractive or tasteless. Rather they should be encouraged to discard them. There is no substitute for religious discipline in characterizing people to perfection.

Many parents, guardians do a lot for their children but completely ignore the character building aspect of their child. Don't care at all and belittles religion as traditional. As a result, it affects every turn of children's future life. They take up all the actions that destroy the character. Involved in all immoral activities. So we have to study more and more religious rules and books for character formation. Efforts should be made to implement it in practical life.

The current time is Facebook, the Internet. In this era, it is difficult for teenagers, young men and young women to maintain their character. But it is not difficult to make the character beautiful if we follow the religious rules. There are many people who feel uncomfortable talking about religion, snort, it is nothing but inferiority complex. But good education and religious values can reveal human character separately, make it worthy.

If we can build a good education and religious environment in our family and society, it will be easier to build the character of the youth. Crimes like juvenile gangs are easy to control. Because, due to the lack of good family education and religious environment, many people go astray, become misguided. In order to control juvenile crime, not only the law enforcement forces should enforce strict laws, but the concerned authorities should also emphasize good family education and moral and religious education and conscious parents should come forward. Only then it will become easier and easier to control gang culture like juvenile delinquency from the society.

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