Law
week
Young offenders getting into serious crimes
Growing negligence by, and indifference of, parents towards children could be the cause behind increasing cruelty in juveniles as is evident from the growing number of offences committed by them.
Experts say the general quality of society is equally to blame for this.
They site reasons as absence of moral and social values in society, effect of private tuitions based education, the extent of “satellite TV culture” and inadequate recreation facilities for the growth of a healthy mind on the growing rate of juvenile crime.
Statistics made available from a Save the Children, UK study show a gradual increase in the number of children confined in jails or child development centres in the first four months of the current year, suggesting an increase in offences committed by them. -The Daily Star, July 01, 2008.
Charges framed against Huji man Zandal
A Sylhet court framed charges against Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) operative Abu Zandal in a case filed in connection with the grenade attack on British high commissioner Anwar Choudhury on May 21, 2004.
The Court of Additional District and Session's Judge Ferdous Ahmed framed the charges against the Huji man. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted supplementary charge sheet against him on March 11.
Zandal and other accused were produced before the court yesterday. The judge fixed August 5 for the next court day for the case filed under Explosive Substances Act.
Zandal is the son of Nurul Islam of Alamdanga under Lohagara upazila in Narail. He has been in jail due to cases filed against him in Dhaka. He was arrested months ago and grenades were recovered in his possession. -The Daily Star, July 01, 2008.
Embassy staff to meet Kuwaiti officials on workers' plight
Bangladesh Embassy officials in Kuwait hold talks with Kuwaiti authorities to discuss the plight of 765 Bangladeshi workers -- which include over 300 women -- who have not been paid for the last six months by their employers.
The cleaning companies they worked for did not arrange return tickets for these workers on completion of their contracts and now the residency permits of some have also expired.
“We have an appointment with the Kuwaiti Labour Department and the companies involved on Monday morning,” Shahriar Kader Siddiky, labour councillor of Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait, told The Daily Star over telephone.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly of Kuwait has formed a technical labour committee to look into and defend the rights of expatriate laborers, the Kuwait Times. The committee, after conducting an extensive study on the plight of laborers submitted a mechanism to address the problems faced by labourers. The committee also suggested a study to raise the minimum wage for workers. -The Daily Star, June 30, 2008.
Crime world beckons 7 lakh slum kids
Around seven lakh children living in slums of the six metropolitan cities of the country are susceptible to a life of crime because of lack of any proper mechanisms to protect them. In the absence of any social safety nets to guard their well-being, juveniles raised in slums and streets without proper care or guidance from parents are easily lured into committing criminal offences. According to government estimates, seven lakh children are among the 50 lakh people -- a number estimated by a Centre for Urban Studies survey in 2005 -- residing in slums in six metropolitan cities, and their numbers are ever increasing. In exchange for very small amounts of money, youngsters are being hired by gangsters to carry or use firearms or peddle drugs. These children don't know any better than falling into such traps, and where they understand the gravity of the jobs they are hired for an empty stomach often overrides considerations. -The Daily Star, July 02, 2008
Corresponding with the Law Desk
Please send your mails, queries, and opinions to: Law Desk, The Daily Star 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215; telephone 8124944,8124955,fax 8125155; email: dslawdesk@yahoo.co.uk,lawdesk@thedailystar.net
