Human trafficking in Bangladesh continues at an alarming rate in absence of proper migration policy. This was emphasized by speakers at a national consultation in the city on Monday. They observed that Limited socio-economic opportunities drive thousands of Bangladeshis to look for opportunities abroad. But many of them fall into the hands of human trafficking networks, ending up in forced labour camps or other exploitative situations abroad.
The National Level consultation with stakeholders on 'combating human trafficking and irregular migration' was organised by BRAC, a country's leading NGO at Brac center Inn, Mohakhali in city.
Nazrul Islam, acting chairman National Humen Rights commission Bangladesh presided over the meeting while Nazia Haider, Programme manager, safer migration, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Embassy of Switzerland, Md. Abu Baker Siddiqui, additional Secretary, Ministry of home Affairs spoke on the occasion among others.
Bangladeshi workers in the Gulf states continue to report being deprived of food and forced to endure psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, says Human Rights Watch's World. In some cases, such abuses amount to forced labour or trafficking. Some Bangladeshi domestic workers pay high recruitment fees and take out loans in order to migrate.
Although, International Organisation for Migration says it helped at least 165 Bangladeshis as of May this year to return from Libya. Forty-three of them, who received IOM assistance in May, were detained by the Libyan authorities for not having valid travel documents, work permits or visas. IOM has also reported that at least 8,687 Bangladeshi migrants used the deadly Mediterranean route to reach Europe till July this year.
Nazia Haider said, safe migration of a worker means the person is not subjected to any fraudulence, he or she gets expected salary and social protection at the destination country and leads a secured life on return home. Speaker Md. Abu Baker Siddiqui, additional Secretary, Ministry of home Affair said, “The number of Bangladeshis working abroad is increasing every year but their safe migration still remain a big challenge for the government.
IOM has a multi-pronged approach based on prevention, protection and prosecution of counter human trafficking that includes supporting the government’s efforts for stronger legislation and enforcement and victim assistance. The Cox’s Bazar conference: Orientation on Prevention and Suppression on Human Trafficking Act, 2012 and National Plan of Action 2018-2022 was organized by IOM and supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). DFID supports IOM’s Rohingya Refugee Response in the district, including protection activities linked to countering human trafficking.
In Cox’s Bazar, human trafficking is an ever-present threat to nearly a million Rohingya refugees living in one of the world’s most densely packed camps. The impoverished community is fertile ground for criminal trafficking syndicates who lure migrants to work abroad under false pretences. Organizations such as IOM, the UN Migration Agency, ILO, UN Women, BRAC, OKUP, BOMSA, WARBE, and Shishuk, are also involved in raising community-level awareness around safe migration through village courtyard meetings with women, capacity building of union digital center entrepreneurs to speak about safe migration, community radio alerts and television infomercials, jatras (interactive theatres), and pot songs that highlight the steps in proper migration.