, May 24 -- Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday said the trial in the rape and murder of eight-year-old Ramisa Akter in Pallabi, Dhaka, could be completed within five to seven days.

"This is actually degradation of social values. We need social reform based on our cultural and religious values. Some negative influences and distorted cultural practices are affecting society," he said at a dialogue organised by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat.

Referring to a series of recent violence against girls including an incident at Kalabagan, the minister said such crimes reflect a broader social and moral decline.

Noting that the government's primary responsibility is to ensure swift legal action and justice,...