The silent crisis: How the lack of social-emotional skills fuels youth violence in Bangladesh 

On April 29, the nation was shaken by a horrifying incident in Chattogram. Rahat Khan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Sanowara Islam Boys' High School, was allegedly murdered and dumped in the Karnaphuli River. The most shocking detail: his alleged killers were not strangers but four of his classmates. 

This brutality stemmed from a minor classroom altercation over seating arrangements six months earlier, which was reportedly mediated by school authorities. According to local police reports cited in The Business Standard, Rahat had been lured outside during tiffin break with the promise of a cricket game, a sport he loved. 

Tragically, he did not realize the premeditated intent behind the invitation. Rahat, an avid cricket enthusiast, likely saw nothing sinister in the offer to play outside during tiffin break. However, behind that innocent facade lay a brewing storm of vengeance. 

Just days earlier, on April 20, Zahidul Islam Parvez, a 22-year-old undergraduate student at Prime Asia University, was fatally stabbed to death in broad daylight in Dhaka. Eyewitness and news reports indicate that the stabbing occurred in front of a crowd and stemmed from a dispute over a personal misunderstanding involving female students. Despite earlier intervention by the university's proctor, tensions escalated, resulting in bloodshed. The students involved, some as young as 19, were arrested and charged with murder. 

While these incidents are disturbing, they are not isolated. According to data shared in The Daily Star, there are at least 50 active "Kishor Gangs" operating in the city-youth groups involved in crimes ranging from drug trafficking to violent assaults. Many of the members are teenagers who lack positive role models, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution skills. 

These tragedies raise a deeper question: why are so many young people in Bangladesh turning to violence over seemingly trivial matters? The answer lies in what experts describe as a silent crisis: a widespread lack of social-emotional skills (SE skills) among adolescents. 

A 2024 study by the NIH National Library of Medicine revealed that one in five Bangladeshi adolescents suffers from conduct disorders, while nearly 10% face emotional challenges like anxiety or depression. These statistics highlight a systemic failure to equip young people with the tools necessary to navigate relationships, manage emotions, and resolve conflicts nonviolently. 

Social-emotional learning (SEL) refers to a framework that assists individuals, particularly children and adolescents, in developing essential life skills such as self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, responsible decision-making, and building healthy relationships. 

Research published by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) indicates that students who receive SEL instruction are more likely to succeed academically, demonstrate prosocial behaviour, and avoid risky or violent actions.

In Bangladesh, SEL is rarely incorporated into the national curriculum. Instead, the emphasis remains narrowly focused on exam-based academic success. Teachers often lack training to recognise emotional distress or foster students' interpersonal growth. 

A 2023 UNICEF report on youth development in South Asia notes that this educational gap leaves students unprepared to cope with the pressures of adolescence in an increasingly urbanized and competitive society. 

This deficiency is further compounded by limited parental involvement. According to a 2022 study by the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), children from low-income families especially in urban slums often grow up with minimal emotional support due to financial strain, parental migration, or household instability. In the absence of engaged caregivers, adolescents may turn to gangs or peer groups in search of identity and belonging. 

However, there is reason for cautious optimism. Organizations like BRAC, in partnership with the American Institutes for Research, have introduced Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs in schools and after-school centres. 

These initiatives incorporate storytelling. role-playing, and group games to teach children how to recognize and manage emotions. Meanwhile, UNICEF's "Sports for Development" program provides safe spaces where vulnerable children can learn teamwork, discipline, and empathy through structured play. 

Educators also play a vital role. Studies from the Aspen Institute and Harvard Graduate School of Education highlight how everyday interactions, such as asking a child how they feel, creating emotionally safe classrooms, or mediating peer conflicts, can foster social-emotional learning (SEL) without requiring separate lessons. 

In Bangladesh, several pioneering schools have taken significant steps to embed Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into mainstream education by training teachers to incorporate SEL principles into subjects like science, language, and humanities. For instance, BRAC's primary education programs have championed this integration by equipping teachers with the tools and strategies needed to foster emotional intelligence, empathy, and self-regulation alongside academic instruction. 

Additionally, platforms like BRAC IED have launched specialized courses such as Socio-Emotional Development through Play, which provide educators with practical techniques for nurturing SEL through interactive and culturally relevant methods. 

However, these efforts remain scattered and underfunded. Without national policy alignment and investment, these interventions cannot achieve the scale needed to reverse the trend of youth violence. 

A more significant shift is an essential one that recognizes social-emotional skills as vital to nation-building. Education must focus on more than just test scores; it should cultivate compassionate and thoughtful citizens. Parents need to be equipped to model empathy and active listening at home by dedicating specific time in their daily schedules to help children with homework, manage exam-related stress, or listen to their school experiences. 

Teachers should be empowered to prioritize their students' mental well-being. Additionally, policymakers must commit to integrating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into every level of education, from primary classrooms to university campuses.

The deaths of Rahat and Zahidul are not just tragedies; they are urgent warnings of what happens when social-emotional development is ignored or neglected. In both cases, minor disputes or misunderstandings (possibly even instances of misbehaviour) spiralled into calculated brutality, a grim illustration of how unresolved emotional conflicts among adolescents and young adults can escalate into unspeakable vengeance and violence. 

Although authorities initially intervened in an attempt to resolve the disputes, the underlying animosity remained unaddressed. Their efforts, while perhaps well-intentioned, were ultimately too little and too late, allowing hostility to fester once again. If Bangladesh is to nurture a generation capable of leading with emotional intelligence, self-awareness, wise, and prosocial-the development of social-emotional skills can no longer be considered optional; it must become a national emergency, not a luxury or afterthought. 

Let us act now before more lives are lost to silence and misunderstanding. 

Ayesha Reza is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Gov. Shaheed Suhrawardy College in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She teaches Indian Philosophy, General Ethics, Philosophy of Mind and Educational Philosophy at the undergraduate level. She can be reached at ayeshareza16@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.