There are strong evidences of many Bangladeshi unemployed youths are being tempted to travel to north America and Europe organized by many international groups of human traffickers in return for huge sums of money.
Reports say that many such ‘victims,’ falling prey to such illegal trafficking in the name of arranging so called ‘Tarzan visa’ for ‘legal jobs’ abroad, have either been reported missing, died or fell in the hands of criminals who hold them hostage for fat ransom.
Like elsewhere in the world, this international gang who maintain global networks for such business of human trafficking, have recently become very active in Bangladesh taking advantages of unemployed youths desperately seeking jobs abroad, especially many of those who have returned from the Middle East and are not able to return due to complications.
It is reported that such gang, who are highly organized world-over, invite and trap such youths seeking better future abroad and arrange journeys by plane, sometimes by ocean-going ships, by bus or any other vehicles or even taken on foot crossing dangerous mountains, forests, rivers or deserts.
In recent years, the news of drowning of migrants on their way to Europe via the Mediterranean has raised concerns among international migrants.
However, the path of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to the United States is riskier. There are no statistics on how many people have died while crossing this treacherous journey so far.
Even after that, those who can reach the United States are not the last to be saved. U.S. immigration authorities detained them as soon as they are caught. After several days of painful imprisonment, they are sent back to Bangladesh.
Such aspirant immigrants often have to fly and then cross the border into Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala through jungles and mountains.
Finally crossing the border into Mexico and the United States, many died on this long journey due to half-starvation or torture by human traffickers. The experience of those who survive is no less frightening.
Much the same thing happens with such job seekers in Europe. Many Bangladeshis cross the Mediterranean through the perils of the temptation of brokers and human traffickers. This route is marked as the riskiest in Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), one out of every 50 immigrants traveling to Italy on this route has died. Besides, many are being detained by the local coast guards. Even after this, the influx of immigrants has not stopped.
Talking to the concerned people, it is learnt that reaching Libya by these routes alone costs Tk 5-9 lakh per person. If the money is not paid as promised, there will be incidents like ransom and abduction of immigrants.
Sometimes the travellers have to accept the cruel consequences created out by the human traffickers. Although many people have died so far, human trafficking rings remain out of reach.
According to law enforcement and related sources, it is not possible to bring the main gangs under trial because they continue to carry out human trafficking activities in Libya, UAE or Turkey.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 2 million people have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe between 2014 and April this year. Among them there are more than 19 000 Bangladeshis.
Bangladeshis are also in the top ten of the list of countries whose citizens tend to cross the Mediterranean to enter Europe. So far, many Bangladeshis have died trying to cross this risky, illegal and dangerous path. On May 9 last year, 37 Bangladeshis died in a boat sinking off the coast of Tunisia. They were crossing the Mediterranean illegally in the hope of traveling to Europe.
The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) said that despite raising awareness, a class of people is deliberately trying to travel to different European countries in search of a better life on fake visas. There is an opportunity to check whether there is any job in such visa through BMET but they do not do that.
Shamsul Alam, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), told Bangladesh Post that, "When someone face risk, only then we come to know about them. But we don't know about those who go and survive. They are tarnishing the image of the country."
According to him, domestic and overseas human trafficking gangs are engaged in such illegal business. If not, how do they get on a plane with a fake visa? If all the victims of this fraud file a case under the Human Trafficking Act and if the law enforcement becomes more active, this tendency may decrease to a great extent.
The government is also concerned about this, he said, an inter-ministerial meeting was held recently to prevent human trafficking.