Dhaka, June 5 : Bangladesh has witnessed a troubling deterioration in social safety indicators, with cases of child abuse, rape, domestic violence, and sexual harassment in educational institutions regularly making headlines across the country, a report has highlighted.

Citing social analysts and psychologists, 'Pressenza International Press Agency' reported that the "terrifying" surge in crime is being fuelled by four key factors: widespread drug abuse, declining moral values, weak social oversight, and a persistent culture of impunity.

â??The availability of narcotics in Bangladesh has reached unprecedented levels, spreading from urban centres to the remotest rural villages. Drugs ranging from Yaba, marijuana, and Phensedyl to the highly lethal â??Iceâ?? (crystal meth) are currently engulfing a vast segment of the youth and younger population,â?? the report detailed.

According to the report, the experts warn that drug addiction severely impairs an individualâ??s judgement and capacity for self-control â?? fostering a â??distorted and violent mindsetâ?? within society, making women and children the easier targets of abuse.

It noted that crime data in Bangladesh suggest that most cases of sexual violence and mugging have a direct or indirect connection to drug abuse.

The report highlighted that despite repeated crackdowns by law enforcement agencies, the failure to eradicate narcotics stems from the presence of a highly powerful and well-organised syndicate.

â??This network involves complicity across various influential strata of society. When a criminal enterprise becomes immensely lucrative, temporary crackdowns are insufficient to suppress it. Breaking this cycle is impossible without deep-rooted, long-term political will capable of uprooting the network entirely,â?? it mentioned.

â??The most devastating blow has struck the realm of morality. Horrific incidents of child sodomy and sexual abuse are coming to light even in spaces traditionally considered the safest for children, such as madrasas, orphanages, residential schools, and religious institutions,â?? it further stated.

The report stressed that no profession or social standing should place the offender above the law.

â??Whether the perpetrator is a teacher, an imam, a politician, a physician, or an ordinary citizen, they are solely a criminal in the eyes of the law. Society must break away from the culture of shielding criminals behind the cover of power or institutional attire,â?? it added.

Highlighting the wider implications of the persisting cases of child abuse, the report said, â??To sustain Bangladesh as a safe and humane state, the government, society, families, and religious institutions must unite on a single platform. Ensuring the safety of children is not the responsibility of a single entity; it is a collective moral obligation of the entire society. Action must be taken to stand against this social degradation before time runs out.â??

/IANS