Joynal Abedin Khan :A number of victims’ families and experts alleged that the government did not take measures in time to prevent human trafficking although various quarters warned the government about it long before. In fact, trafficking by the sea route was not even the agenda of the government’s national work plan to check human trafficking. As a result, migration to other countries illegally damaged the country’s image abroad.The exodus to Malaysia by sea route has been continuing for the past few years. The matter came to the notice of the international arena for the first time on February 3 in 2012 when the Sri Lankan Navy found 138 unconscious people in a fishing trawler. The discovery of the Bangladeshis in Thai jungles in terrible condition just a week ago created sensation all over the world.Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained at least four human traffickers with seven aspiring migrants on Thursday night from the capital’s Fakirapool area , said RAB Assistant Director (media) Maksudul Alam. The arrested men were identified as Abdul Kuddus, Zafar, Biplob and Shah Uddin.The fortune seekers were identified as Masum Hossain, 22, Shaon, 27, Mostafizur Rahman, 24, Amjad Ali, 36, Rezaul Islam, 35, Motahar Ali, 33 and Saidul Islam, 23, said Major Mohammad Mohiuddin, Deputy Director RAB-3.According to manpower experts, the decision to send workers to Malaysia through government channels virtually brought the export of manpower to a halt. The people begin to believe that if they somehow manage to get there by any means, they will find jobs. And so they are willing to go by sea route, risking their lives. Had there been the opportunity to go legally, this trafficking could have been reduced drastically. The government’s shortcomings in this regard have been criticized.Foreign Ministry sources said, the Bangladesh diplomatic missions in Malaysia and Thailand had been cautioning the government about human trafficking by sea route since the beginning of 2014. In March, April, May and June last year, several letters were sent to Dhaka from the Bangladesh embassy in Thailand. It was said, over a period of time, a few hundred Bangladeshis had been caught at the Shangkhla province and Sadao. It was essential to stop this exodus by increasing border vigilance and implementing the employment laws. These urgent messages were sent not only to the foreign ministry, but to the home ministry and the expatriate welfare ministry as well. But the burgeoning trade in human trafficking indicates that these messages fell on deaf ears.BGB, the Coast Guard and the police have, in scattered instances, recovered persons being trafficked to Malaysia from Teknaf and Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar district. But the traffickers haven’t been caught. Now that there has been a worldwide hue and cry over human trafficking, at least five traffickers have been killed in ‘gun fights’. Bangladesh has been criticised internationally for ‘gunfights.Organisations dealing with research on migration have also been cautioning the government for quite a few years about human trafficking. United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have highlighted human trafficking in their recent reports. They have recommended for an increase in legally sending people overseas, vigilance on the borders, breaking the traffickers’ network and so on.The US state department has published a report in Trafficking in Persons (TIP). Last year’s report stated Bangladesh had not taken adequate steps against the trafficking. In 2008, a national work plan was undertaken, ending in 2011. The second work plan started in 2012 and ended in 2014. All actions against human trafficking are taken through this plan. However, neither of the plans had any mention of human trafficking. In fact, this has not even featured in the 2015-17 work plan. Mostafizur Rahman, Joint Secretary (political) of the Home Ministry, said the media, “It is true that the previous two work plans did not focus on human trafficking, but this time we will give the issue top priority. We have already begun work to halt human trafficking by sea.”On 20 February 2012, a new law was enacted but situation did not improve much. Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment said, “We send people legally. It is the home ministry’s work to prevent human trafficking.” However, the government will now be active. The persons involved in trafficking will be uprooted.”CR Abrar, coordinator of Dhaka University’s Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit (RMMRU) said, “If had there been political commitment at the outset to prevent human trafficking, then this situation wouldn’t have arisen. We request the concerned authorities in the government to take action to bring the trafficking to an end.”
