Our thinly woven social fabric has been torn apart yet again. A murder has shaken our belief in the social system.

It snatched much more than a life. It stole our comfort of trust in one another.

Photos of the Pallabi rape-murder victim have been circulating for three days -- photos stored in the parents’ phones. They will remember with anguish, as excruciating remnants of their daughter.

As photos of Ramisa circulated online following news of her death, some people posted sexualised comments under them.

Mind you… photos of an eight-year-old.

In one photo, where she was wearing a saree, men posted sexual innuendos; one even suggested that “getting dolled up” was not appropriate.

All this appeared under posts about the barbaric murder of a little girl.

We raged after the Epstein files were disclosed. As it turns out, we have our own Epsteins.

And this entire country appears to have become their safe haven.

Over a year ago, after a six-year-old in Magura was devoured by another monster, a number of Facebook groups were found sharing photos of underage girls.

Hubs of pedophiles collecting, sexualising, uttering grotesque desires.

One group had over 60,000 members. Dhaka Stream reported that most posted photos are of children aged 9 to 14, in school uniforms.

Depravity of this magnitude was out in the open. What were our cybercrime units and law enforcement doing?

I refuse to believe our cybercrime specialists lack the capacity to act.

Our intelligence can track WhatsApp threads to arrest militants; it can arrest people for supposed derogatory remarks towards government officials.

Only when it comes to these blatant crimes does our law enforcement appear lost.

In the first four months of 2026, 115 children have been killed -- 11 after being raped, according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK). Only 36 cases were filed. ASK also recorded 109 children raped, 12 sexually harassed by teachers, with only three cases filed.

Behind every number is a child who didn’t have the capacity to understand what exactly happened to them and why. Behind every number is a harrowing tale.

Ramisa’s father said he does not believe he will see justice. “Bangladesh will forget after 15 days,” he said.

The Rape Law Reform Coalition estimates over 10 lakh pending cases, 10,000 unresolved for over half a decade. In 2025 alone, police logged 7,068 rape cases nationwide involving 1,897 child victims.

Ramisa’s father has seen enough to know his daughter’s death may become just another entry.

When a doctor blew the lid on the rape and pregnancy of an 11-year-old in Netrokona, she was bombarded with threats, to protect the sanctity of the madrasa. For it was a teacher of the madrasa who was accused.

Strangely, it is not the dignity or sanity or life of the victim but institutions that are prioritised. Only goes to show how little regard we have for children.

Our tendency, whether deliberate or not, to protect paedophiles discourages children from speaking up. Our obsession with reputation makes even our own homes unsafe.

Epsteins are not born. They are cultivated -- enabled by a system of silence, ignorance, and constant cover-ups.

We cannot let this slide anymore. Our country cannot be a safe haven for “Epsteins.”