Nine Bangladeshi youths, all hailing from Narsingdi, have been missing after their trawler capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday night, causing extreme anxiety and worry to their families.
The missing Bangladeshi youths are Mokhlesur Rahman, 20, Masud Rana, 22, Monir Hossain, 22, Rabiul Islam, 33, Rayhan, 22, Swadhin Mia, 20, Aman Mia, 21, and Emon, 20. All are residents of Belabo upazila of the district.
According to family members of the victims, each family had to pay a man named Zakir Hossain and his aunt Shahinur Begum Tk 10 to Tk 12 lakh for each youth six months ago.
The missing nine youths feared drowned after a boat from Libya capsized in bad weather on Wednesday. A total 12 others were rescued and brought ashore.
Earlier, seven other men from Narsingdi reportedly went missing and another died in a similar incident on Jun 24.
“Immediate after leaving the boat from a migrant camp on the Libyan coast, it sank in the Mediterranean Sea,” talking to this correspondent Jamal Mia, brother of victim Kamal Hossain said.
There were 20 people on the boat and some of them were rescued, but nine went missing, Jamal said
“We have paid one Zakir Hossain and his aunt Shahinur Begum Tk 12 lakhs six months. And Zakir promised us that he will take Kamal to Italy via Libya.
Ibrahim, the brother of Rabiul who identified himself with a single name, said his brother went to Libya eight months ago through a trafficker based in Bhairab, but Rabiul did not get any valid documents there.
Zakir of Dulalkandi then took Tk 900,000 from the family, promising them to send Rabiul to Italy.
Zakir’s family and his aunt Shahinur fled their homes.
Talking to this correspondent Md Tanvir Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge of Belabo Police Station said no case has been filed in this connection till date.
When contacted Ayesha Zannat Tahera, Belabo Upazila Nirbahi said she was constantly trying to get information about the Bangladeshi migrants through the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry.
With no end in sight to the tragedy unfolding on the Mediterranean Sea, Bangladesh government and European Commission (EU) will have to work together in order to curb human trafficking right now.
Bangladesh and EU also have to ensure improved and expanded safe and legal pathways for migrants.
If the legal pathways are ensured, it will discourage the migrants to choose the illegal procedure for going abroad.
Besides, sending the irregular migrants back to the country of origin swiftly from the European countries will also help manage migration safely together moving away from irregular to regular in this regard.
Human trafficking and migrant smuggling cannot be prevented by a single organisation or an agency or entity rather concerted effort of all concerned is required.
There were 20 youths on the boat and 12 of them were rescued, but nine went missing, according to national and international newspapers and news agencies.
Besides, due to extreme cold, many Bangladeshi youths died from hypothermia while crossing the Mediterranean Sea or other routes.
So, this is not only a single tragic story of nine youths but we also continued witnessing such deaths of our young people while crossing Mediterranean Sea to trespass into the European countries illegally.
It is being noticed since long youths in different districts of the country have become desperate to migrate to European countries, even at great risk to their finances and personal safety.
In consequence, many youths went missing while they were crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach European countries including Italy and Greece using Libya and Turkey as transit points along their route.
And a good number of them went missing before they reached the destination.
The government has taken various measures to promoting legal migration but many Bangladeshis try to reach European countries illegally resulting in tragic and frequent deaths in their perilous journey through the seas.
They are desperate to reach Europe, beckoning like a paradise where their fates will change.
But in that moment, a hellish death is closer to them.
Italy and Greece are major routes into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and other migrants, has seen an increase in migrant boats in recent times.
In this regard, especially the Middle-class youths are joining exodus of poor migrant workers to Italy and France but not all survive the journey
Therefore, all the conscious section of people will have to build strong and united resistance against human-trafficking so that our youths will not be allured to go abroad illegally.
Besides, with the proper application of laws to stop human trafficking, creation of mass awareness particularly among youths and guardians is a must.
The organised international criminals’ groups in association with the local human traffickers are luring our youths into such danger with the promise of a luxurious life in European countries.
All must keep in mind that the human traffickers in both country and abroad are a highly powerful coterie.
It is priority of all us to work together with the government to refrain our youths from going Europe illegally.
