There is no war going on in Bangladesh. But what is the reason for the high incidence of human trafficking or migration from Bangladesh to other war-torn or politically unstable countries?
।। Zahid Rahman।।
Despite the government’s efforts to address this problem, Bangladesh remains the top source country for illegal migrants to Europe. In the decade since 2009, 62,583 Bangladeshis have entered Europe irregularly using nine different routes while at least 3,332 Bangladeshis entered Europe via dangerous sea crossings in the first six months of this year, BRAC Migration Programme has revealed.
BRAC is an international development organization led by the government of Bangladesh. Citing data from the European Border and Coast Guard, Frontex, BRAC said the highest number of Bangladeshis, 37,198 used the Central Mediterranean route. In addition, 17,639 used the Eastern Mediterranean route and another 857 thrust into Europe between 2009 and May 2021 with the Western Mediterranean route. Especially according to BRAC, most of those who choose to risk their lives on such sea voyages are between 25-40 years old.
More than 160 Bangladeshis were rescued from the Mediterranean earlier this year at the behest of Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials. They were asked whether they wanted to return home, but none agreed. Some of the Bangladeshi victims rescued from the Mediterranean coast said to Bangladesh embassy officials, they were tempted by traffickers with the false hope of being lured to highly paid jobs in Europe. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded 937 deaths in the Mediterranean this year, many of them were from Bangladesh.
According to the International Organization for Migration, an estimated 700,000 Bangladeshis who choose to migrate abroad each year face the risk of this process. Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission has designated the act of trafficking an “extreme violation of human rights” and an “abominable crime.”
There is no war going on in Bangladesh. But what is the reason for the high incidence of human trafficking or migration from Bangladesh to other war-torn or politically unstable countries? Shariful Hasan, head of migration programme at BRAC said, large numbers of Bangladeshi youths, spent as much as Tk 10 Lakh to 16 Lakh for this hazardous journey, when they saw that their relatives or acquaintances had migrated from their area to European countries and were enjoying a better life and livelihood year after year. Most of them are going there to improve their social status!
The BRAC study found that on average, an Europe-bound migrant spent between Tk 10 Lakh to Tk 15 Lakh, where the average cost of irregular migration to Malaysian and Middle East ranged from Tk 1 Lakh to Tk 3 Lakh. Two of such routes are Bangladesh-India-Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran-Turkey-Greece and Bangladesh-Dubai-Bahrain-Turkey-Libya-Italy. Shariful Hasan said that in the last two years, about two lakh Bangladeshis have gone to Dubai on visitor visas. Subsequently, many of them chose to migrate to Europe irregularly.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), 4,510 undocumented Bangladeshi nationals arrived in Europe by sea and by land in 2020, entered Italy, Malta, Spain or Greece. In the same year 8,844 Bangladeshi Europe-bound migrants were tracked while passing through the Western Balkan countries.
According to the United Nations, half of the victims of global trafficking are trafficked for sexual exploitation and 38% of others are forced labour. The United Nations has found that women continue to be the primary targets of victims, with 46% of trafficked women and 19% of girls.
The European Union is pressuring Bangladesh to encourage the return of its unauthorized migrants, threatening to impose visa ban on Bangladeshi citizens unless the government takes steps to repatriate its citizens. The Government of Bangladesh, September 2011 plans to finalize the arrival procedure although the exact details of the plan were unclear. It stressed that when it wants to bring back irregular workers, safe and regular migration channels must be expanded.
Italy has made several efforts to curb smuggling in the Mediterranean. The Italian government has agreed to send naval patrol boats to Libya to assist the Libyan coast guard in the fight against human trafficking. It has taken part in talks with local militias to prevent migrants from sending boats, while offering little protection for migrants themselves. NGOs engaged in the rescue of migrants have introduced a new code of conduct in Italy, which includes a ban on sending light signals and transferring migrants to other ships. The NGO, several of which have refused to sign the code, insists it will lead to more deaths, since 2017 their boats have picked up more than a third of the migrants brought ashore.
In Bangladesh, law enforcement agencies have launched operations against human traffickers or their accomplices more than once. Destination countries want to reduce irregular arrivals, so Bangladesh has tightened its policy to protect citizens deployed abroad. There is no lack of a mechanical system to protect the rights of those who are formally employed. In 1982, the government issued an Immigration Ordinance to observe and oversee the departure of migrant workers. The Overseas Employment Policy was followed in 2006 to ensure the right of workers to choose quality employment. Implementation has been ad hoc, however. In 2011, Bangladesh adopted the Immigration and Overseas Employment Act, which seeks to control immigration by protecting the rights of immigrants. These include emergency repatriation of migrants in times of crisis, crackdown on fraud and increased recruitment agency accountability.
However, these institutional protections have become less effective as recruitment networks have become increasingly complex and difficult to penetrate. More than 10,000 unregistered and anonymous agents are operating across Bangladesh, according to Dhaka University, a research unit in the movement of refugees and migrants. Agents inform potential clients about job opportunities, staffing, and financial management.
In view of the economic and political challenges of Bangladesh, it is highly unlikely that the desire to pursue the international dream will diminish among many Bangladeshis at any time, especially as long as a wide network of employers risks the possibility of connecting with a well-heeled employer, while the Bangladesh government can regulate and monitor recruitment agencies and increase their activity throughout the journey, this is a huge challenge.
The writer is a barrister based in United Kingdom.
