Thirty more Bangladeshis, rescued in the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Italy, returned to Dhaka on Thursday from Tunisia. All of them were victims of human trafficking. They are now under the care of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport authority and are being provided with emergency support, including food and water. Earlier this year they went to Dubai with visit visas and then moved to Libya and finally to Tunisia. Next, they tried to cross the Mediterranean through Tunisia and headed towards Italy.
More Bangladeshi victims returned from Tunisia in August, July and March. According to available data, around 5,278 Bangladeshis entered Europe this year in similar ways. As many as 65,000 people entered Europe illegally from Bangladesh in the past 12 years among whom 40,000 crossed the Mediterranean Sea in risky voyages. Most of them belong to the age group 25-50. Many of them have become victims of trafficking in several countries even amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Bangladesh now tops the list of source countries whose nationals have tried to cross into Europe through the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, recorded 937 deaths in just the first six months of this year in the Mediterranean, many of them Bangladeshis.
Also, Covid-19-induced worsening poverty situation can be linked to people’s desperation to take risky journeys, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and by land routes to reach Europe. Covid-19 has increased the risk of trafficking for potential migrants who are looking for better opportunities in Europe. Recent trends suggest that traffickers are using social media platforms to lure potential victims.
The government has failed to contain human trafficking through generation of decent employment opportunities and advocacy and communication campaigns. In many cases, pro-government politicians are found involved in human trafficking networks. On the other hand, the regular migration process is not well-known to these unfortunate victims due to a lack of communication, though remittance from migrant workers is the backbone of the economy. The government needs to explore new manpower export markets and bring the human traffickers to justice.
