Yet another madrasa student has become victim of a sadistic teacher. The picture of a visibly frightened seven-year-old Md Siam Hossain in Pabna, with chains on his feet, speaks of the trauma this little boy has gone through. The child's 'crime' was that he kept trying to run away. For this he was confined to a room for a few days with his feet tied in chains. Not surprisingly, the accused teacher is absconding.

What is shocking, however, is the number of instances of such inhuman torture in these institutions that have been reported recently. Just this year there have been numerous news reports of young madrasa students – all minors –  being subjected to the most painful and humiliating forms of torture. This includes severe beatings with a cane, shaving the head, confinement in a room, being half starved and being hung from a ceiling fan. It is appalling that institutions supposed to be imparting religious education and moral values employ teachers who engage in these beastly acts of torture. This despite a law prohibiting corporal punishment in educational institutes which includes madrasas.

We cannot emphasise enough the need for the government to thoroughly monitor the behaviour of teachers towards their students, whether in madrasas or regular schools. Clear directives must be given to the authorities of these institutes regarding what constitutes the violation of a child's rights and that such violations will be severely punished by law. It is not enough to suspend or fire teachers who physically and mentally harm students who have come to them for learning. The offenders must be arrested and meted out appropriate sentences that will deter other potential torturers from committing the same crime.