While the political arena echoes with rhetoric of reform and principles, the main streets and side alleys are washed with the blood of ordinary people. Innocent citizens sitting in tea stalls in broad daylight are struck by bullets. Yet, the firearms that shake the streets have ended up in the hands of cadres and activists belonging to the very parties entrusted with governing the nation from the throne of power. Power has indeed changed hands, but the security landscape for ordinary citizens has not shifted in the slightest. The familiar bloody script of 2001 to 2006 seems to have returned in a new wrapping today.

The Game of Blood and the Politics of Dominance in Mirpur In the alleyways of the capital's Mirpur, the word "politics" today has become synonymous with terror. Major administrative and political shifts have completely failed to bring relief to the lives of common people. Spouting slogans of so-called reform and principles, field-level activists of the parties currently sitting in parliament and in power are engaged in a scramble for authority. Be it building bathhouses, controlling raw markets leases, or taking over CNG stands—whatever the excuse—there is not a moment's delay in pulling a pistol from a pocket.

In less than the last seven months, more than a hundred shooting incidents have occurred in the capital, Dhaka, alone, claiming dozens of fresh young lives. In this dirty game of sharing extortion money and capturing turf, the victims are solely innocent pedestrians and the general public. Those under whose shelter these armed rampages occur remain beyond reach. Common people have no role and no security in this power struggle; their sole objective now is simply to survive somehow with their lives.

New Victims of Violence: Violence Against Women and Children Rising at an Alarming Rate On one hand, there is political chaos and the brandishing of firearms; on the other, brutal violence against women and children has taken a severe form across society. According to data from Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, in the month of August alone this year, 252 women and young girls fell victim to horrific violence. This means that, on average, at least eight women and children faced violence every single day.

Based on reports from 15 national dailies and 2 online portals, this data reveals that 55 individuals were killed in August, including 10 young girls and 45 women. During the same period, 54 individuals were raped, 36 of whom were children. Thirteen people, including eight children, suffered horrific gang rapes, and two were brutally murdered after being raped.

Social Instability and the Ultimate Form of Insecurity This procession of crime does not stop at murder or rape. In August, a total of 30 females, including 24 young girls, faced sexual violence. Among them, 7 (including 4 children) were victims of cybercrime, while 23 others suffered sexual harassment and teasing. In addition, domestic violence, child marriage, arson, abduction, and the abuse of domestic workers are pushing society down a deep, dark alley.

The machinations of politics and this extreme deterioration of the law and order situation prove that the lives of ordinary people are completely unprotected. Just as the lives of innocent citizens are imperiled by weapons wielded for political dominance and extortion, the nation's women and children are spending their days in extreme uncertainty both inside and outside their homes. Unless this political armed violence is stopped immediately and perpetrators of violence against women and children are brought to strict justice, the dream of building a society of equality and justice will remain confined only to paper.

Author: Dr. Abul Hasnat Milton, Journalist, Political Analyst, and Chief Editor, The Source News Bangla