19-year-old girl brings charges of abuse against parents. What does it reveal about modern Bangladeshi families?

Confused by a primetime TV report, septuagenarian Jahanara Begum confronted her journalist son at the dinner table, full of questions. Why did a well-spoken girl from an English-medium school in Mohammadpur file a case against her parents? Did they truly abuse her? She seemed cheerful on TV. The court asked for a family resolution -- but how would that work? Her son tried to explain. After hearing it all, Jahanara simply said, “Times have really changed.” A child of this changed time, the 19-year-old girl in question is the only daughter of two working parents. They raised her in a privileged environment, sparing no expense to educate her at one of Dhaka’s top institutions. Despite what appeared to be a...