Arms or pens! It’s designed for children. Pens with a different design of guns are easily seen at the shops across the city in addition to arms toy for children.
Uses of this toys or pens may severely impact on the psychological growth of the children and security forces should act quickly to pull out these products from the markets, analysts said.
On Thursday (Jun 7), a hawker put many products on display on the footpath in front of the Dhaka Teachers’ Training College. One of these products was arms, not real arms. It’s actually a pen with a replica of the gun. Two schoolboys were seen buying these pens.
When asked, seller Shahin Saheb said, “Its pens and price is Tk 20 each.”
“These are bought at the wholesale market in Chawkbazar, he said.
Ishtiyaq Ahmed bought several pens after bargaining for a while, “Seeing these toys, I liked it very much. So, I bought it.”
He had a different plan. “We (Ahmed and his wife) both tutor several kids, we will give it to them, they will be delighted,” he said.
On spot visits, these arms-shaped kid’s toys including famous brands were seen putting on a display at the different market across the city.
Samiul Alam, who sells children toys in New Market area, said, “Nowadays, children toys are made up of different types of equipment. So, making all kinds of the toys have become easier.
Asked whether selling these goods are right, he said, “I can’t do business thinking about it, I kept these in my shop if people like they will buy if they dislike they don’t.”
Appreciating these kinds designs for pens, housewife Nurjahan Begum of Lalbagh area, claimed that children become happy when they get it.
Fazana Siddiqi Nancy who teaches at a government primary school in the city said, “We even forbid children bringing scales at school because some children start fighting with it.”
No educational tools for children should be a pistol, knife alike, she observed.
Predicting dire consequence, Bangladesh Open University teacher Tanvir Ahsan said, “Children will be encouraged by violence. Children enjoy watching musclemen on television.”
“So, if they are given a pistol it will definitely impact on their psychology. Children will not understand the difference between pens and arms. They will develop a violent psychology.
Giving the arms-like toy to children has harmful consequence it will be more dangerous if it comes through educational equipment,” said Ahsan, who teaches Sociology.
“People, who behave aggressively and carry out killings in the latter part of their lives, watched more video on violence, be it in television, advertisement and etc, in early life. They had got their motivation at the very beginning.
“What are the businessmen are doing now? The tendency to engage in fighting, to create excitement exists among all children. To attract, to adventure is a child’s normal tendency. But, dishonest businessmen have been turning the adventure (of children) into violence,” he said,
Citing children watching images of violence, use of knife and pistol, Dr Tajul Islam said, “When children go to market they will want to buy products which their heroes use on the screen. They won’t want to buy pens they want pistol or knife. They are pursuing the guardians to buy it.”
“There is two of cheating here – one is spoiling the kids with pistol and cheating guardian by giving a typical face on pens.
"Pen is a creative thing, it’s for peace while arms are lethal it’s for destruction. They (traders) are doing big crime as they are destroying outlook and creative thinking by making a symbolic connection between pens and arms,” said Islam, who is a professor at National Institute of Mental Health & Research.
“Pen is against arms and now it turns out, the pen becomes arms. This business has been destroying our long-lasting morality.
Calling for a ban on such business, Islam said, “Like the anti-adulterating drive, the government should punish the people who are producing theses arms-like pens.”
Citing variety in children toys, Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Masudur Rahaman told Bangla Tribune, “We have no legal jurisdiction to act unless it becomes arms and toys are for entertainment.”
Asked on children toys can be given the shape of arms, the DMP Deputy Commissioner said, “We have no legal bars under the existing laws”.