human trafficking
Human trafficking: 20 more teenagers return home from Indian prisons
Twenty Bangladeshi teenagers, trafficked to India with fake job promises, returned to Bangladesh Thursday after serving two years in Indian prisons.
They were handed over to an NGO named Justice and Care .
Benapole Immigration Police officer-in-charge Ahsan Habib told UNB that the teenage boys and girls were trafficked to India by a gang two and a half years ago.
Once they reached India, the traffickers left them wandering on the unknown Kolkata streets and fled after taking most of their belongings.
Read: Trafficked to India 2 years ago 12 teenage girls return home from jail
They were caught by Kolkata police and were later a court sentenced them to two years imprisonment for illegal entry into the country.
On completion of their jail term, they were kept at a shelter home.
Bangladesh government issued a special travel permit for their return home, Ahsan added.
Last week, 12 more teenage girls returned to Bangladesh after serving two years in a Hyderabad prison.
They too, were victims of human trafficking.
30 more Bangladeshis rescued from the Mediterranean return from Tunisia: BRAC
Thirty more Bangladeshis, rescued in the Mediterranean Sea on their way to Italy, returned to Dhaka Thursday from Tunisia.
All of them, who were victims of human trafficking, arrived home on a Turkish Airlines flight at around 12:00 pm, Brac Migration Programme head Shariful Hasan said.
They are now under the care of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport authority and being provided with emergency support, including food and water.
Of them, 7 are from Shariatpur,6 from Madaripur, 4 from Gopalganj, 3 from Tangail, 2 each from Faridpur, Kishoreganj and Sylhet and 1 each from Cumilla, Dhaka, Noakhali and Munshiganj.
Earlier this year they went to Dubai with visit visas and then moved to Libya and finally to Tunisia. Next, they crossed the Mediterranean through Tunisia and headed towards Italy.
Read: 13 Bangladeshis rescued in Mediterranean return home
Similarly, 13 Bangladeshi victims returned from Tunisia on August 19, 17 on July 1 and 7 more on March 24.
According to information provided by BRAC, 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 which 40,000 crossed the Mediterranean Sea in risky voyages.
Most of them belong to the age group 25-50, added BRAC sources.
Read: 49 Bangladeshi migrants rescued from Mediterranean
Many of them have become victims of either trafficking or smuggling into several countries – Libya, Tunisia, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina even amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Untold numbers have perished of course.
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 with people's desperation to take risky journeys, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and land routes to reach Europe.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 has increased the risk of trafficking not only for potential migrants who are looking for better opportunities in Europe. Recent trends also suggest that traffickers are using social media platforms to lure potential victims of human trafficking.
Around 4,510 irregular Bangladeshi nationals entered Italy, Malta, Spain or Greece in 2020 through sea and by land, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix.
At least 17 Bangladeshi migrants drowned in a shipwreck off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe, the Tunisian Red Crescent said in July.
On July 3, at least 43 migrants, including Bangladeshis, went missing while 84 were rescued after a boat heading towards Europe drowned off the coast of Tunisia.
Several migrant boats sank recently while trying to reach Europe as more people are now trying to make the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean to the continent amid warmer summer weather.
Between May 18 and June 24 this year, Tunisian naval authorities rescued over 700 Bangladeshis, shipwrecked in the Mediterranean on their way to Europe from Libya.
They were part of at least 3,332 Bangladeshis who have so far been either rescued or detained on their way to the continent this year.
7 Bangladeshi women trafficked to India return via Benapole
Indian authorities on Thursday sent back seven Bangladeshi women, who were trafficked to that country two years ago.
The seven were received by the Benapole immigration police at the international land border after India’s Petrapole immigration authorities sent them back on travel permit.
The returnees have been identified as- Shirina Bishwash Kuri from Jashore, Anjuman Sumi from Kuri village, Moushumi Akter from Farispur, Ria Akter from Chattogram, Shohagi akter Mim from Sreepur, Zakia Akter from Khagrachari and Suma Akter from Sunamganj.
Also read: Banned Indian drugs worth Tk 30 lakh seized at Benapole
All of them are aged between 25 and 30 years.
Officer-in-charge of Benapole immigration police Ahsan Habib said that the women were produced in a local court that granted them bail. "The women have been taken to a shelter home by NGO Justice and Care."
The women told cops that they had entered India two years ago illegally through brokers and who promised job opportunities there.
Also read: Govt relaxes conditions for returnees from India through Benapole
Senior program officer of Justice and Care, ABM Muhit Hossain said that Indian police rescued the women after getting to know that they had fallen into the trap of human traffickers.
The returnees will stay in 14-day institutional quarantine in Jashore for now considering the current Covid situation, said the officer. "After that, we will help them get jobs in Bangladesh,” he said.
Rab arrest three members of a human trafficking gang
In a drive against human trafficking Rab have arrested three members of gang from Dhaka city, Satkhira and Madaripur districts after wide media coverage of the smuggling of a woman and her teenaged daughter to India.
The drive, conducted from Sunday night to Monday morning, came amid reports of growing incidents of trafficking people luring them with jobs abroad, a Rab officer said.
According to Rab the gang members were involved in the trafficking of a 17-year-old girl in last January promising her a job in an Indian parlour. Later the girl’s mother was also trafficked.
Also read: Human trafficking ring busted in Natore, 2 held
They both have been rescued and repatriated to Bangladesh.
The arrestees were identified as Kallu Shohagh alias Kallu Nagin Shohag alias Kallu, 40, ringleader of Kala-Nagin syndicate and son of Matiur Rahman of Madaripur district, Mohammad Shohagh alias Shohagh alias Nagin Shohagh, 32, son of Kabir Hossain of Dhaka’s Pallabi area and Billal Hossain, 41, son of Akimuddin Morol of Satkhira district.
Tipped off, a team of Rab-4 conducted the simultaneous drive and arrested them from Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila, Satkhira’s Debhata upazila and Pallabi area of the capital, said ASP Imran Khan of Rab Headquarters (media).
After interrogation, Rab came to know that the syndicate members have long been involved in trafficking women and young girls to India with a promise of lucrative jobs there.
Some 20-25 members were involved in the gang and Billal used to work as the agent of the gang along the bordering Satkhira district, said Rab.
Also read: Rab arrests seven members of an alleged human trafficking gang
The syndicate members are active in Mirpur, Tejgaon and Gazipur district.
In the wake of the alleged fraud, cases have been filed by relatives of the victims in Bangladesh at various times. Complaints have also been received from several families who have gone missing at different times. Accordingly, RAB has intensified its intelligence surveillance.
Rab launched an investigation on trafficking of women to India and over the recent alleged rape and torture of a Bangladeshi woman by fellow Bangladeshis there.
Human trafficking ring busted in Natore, 2 held
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Monday evening arrested two members of a human trafficking ring in Natore.
The arrestees have been identified as Sohrab Hossain (55) and Chanawur Islam (23). Of them, Sohrab is also an accused in a rape case, the RAB said in a release.
Read:Community radios sensitise people on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
According to the elite force, a team of RAB-5 Natore camp led by company commander Major Sanaria Chowdhury conducted a raid in the Bagrom area of Natore Sadar Upazila on Monday evening, based on a tip off, and arrested the two.
Another member of the human trafficking racket, named Ali, however, managed to escape.
Human trafficking: UN to act responding to voices of victims
The United Nations says it is committed to listening and responding to the voices of victims and survivors of human trafficking ensuring their rights and dignity.
"The UN is committed to amplifying their stories and learning from them in the fight to prevent and put an end to this terrible crime," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The UN chief made the remarks in a message marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons “Victims’ Voices Lead the Way” that falls on July 30.
In the midst of a global pandemic, Guterres said, accompanied by rising inequalities and economic devastation, the voices of human trafficking survivors and victims risk being drowned out. But listening to their stories is more crucial than ever as the Covid-19 crisis increases fragilities and drives up desperation, he said.
Also read: All stakeholders must join hands for combating human trafficking: Webinar
As many as 124 million more people have been pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic, leaving many millions vulnerable to trafficking.
Children are at great and growing risk as they represent one-third of victims globally, a share that has tripled in the last 15 years.
"Half of victims in low-income countries are children, most of whom are trafficked for forced labour. Criminals everywhere are using technology to identify, control and exploit vulnerable people. Children are increasingly targeted through online platforms for sexual exploitation, forced marriage and other forms of abuse," said the UN chief.
Trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation continues to be one of the most widespread and abhorrent forms of human trafficking, he said. "Migrants account for more than half of those trafficked in most regions."
The UN chief said governments must take urgent steps to strengthen prevention, support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
Also read: Bangladeshi returnee from Mauritius files human trafficking case against recruiting agency
This includes implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
"Our efforts must be guided by survivors of trafficking," he said, adding that their contribution is essential to address risk factors and patterns, and to identify and protect victims and ensure their access to justice and recovery, while holding their exploiters accountable.
All stakeholders must join hands for combating human trafficking: Webinar
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Wednesday said trafficking in persons is a serious human rights violation and the fight against trafficking and smuggling of migrants requires multi-stakeholder engagement.
He said the government of Bangladesh has zero tolerance policy on this and is actively taking steps to fight this horrific crime.
Read: Trafficking Report: Bangladesh still on Tier 2
The Foreign Secretary was addressing a webinar marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021.
The webinar was organized by the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Technical Working Group (CTIPTWG) under the Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration (BDUNNM) to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021.
The “Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh)” project, which is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNODC and IOM, supported to organize the event.
UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Mia Seppo said the COVID-19 is presenting new challenges to the protection of migrants, and it is widely known that the pandemic impacts men, women, and children, including adolescents, differently.
"To combat the scourge of trafficking in persons, all stakeholders must join hands and work together," she said.
Read: Work together to end trafficking in persons: UN chieff
This year’s theme of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, "Victims’ Voices Lead the Way" puts victims of human trafficking at the centre of the campaign and highlights the importance of listening to and learning from survivors of human trafficking.
To mark the day, representatives from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), members of the Bangladesh United Nations Network on Migration (BDUNNM), partners from civil society and the private sector met in the virtual webinar.
The webinar shared the key messages from survivors of human trafficking and highlighted the risks faced by an estimated 700,000 Bangladeshis who choose to migrate abroad every year.
Vulnerable migrants are often the target of traffickers and find themselves in situations that can result in debt bondage, forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriages and other forms of modern slavery.
It is documented that Bangladesh is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and child victims of human trafficking.
Bangladesh has taken active steps to counter human trafficking by including formulating policies and strengthening task forces.
These include the GO-NGO National Coordination Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, Committee to Monitor the National Plan of Action for Combatting Human Trafficking 2018-2022, the Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation, and Integration (RRRI) Task Force, the Vigilance Task Force, and the Counter Trafficking Committees at district, sub-district, and union levels.
Participants at the webinar called on Bangldesh government, global partners, the private sector, and civil society actors to focus their efforts on advancing a robust, rights-based approach aimed at preventing exploitation of individuals by trafficking networks and shrinking the space in which they operate.
Giorgi Gigauri, Coordinator of BDUNNM and IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh said trafficking is a crime which puts migrant workers at risk in terms of physical and mental abuse, harassment, forced labour, forced and illegal marriages, illegal trade, and losing lives.
"The Government at all levels, development partners, law enforcement entities, civil society, the private sector, and all other relevant actors must make a concerted effort to take action to stamp it out."
Siobhan Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, in her address noted the impact of COVID 19 increases risks of trafficking in persons.
We need urgently to address the increasing risks of child trafficking, to combat online exploitation, exploitation of migrant workers and the particular risks of sexual exploitation. The Global Compact on Migration commits to eradicating trafficking in persons."
Mullally said this commitment must translate into meaningful change on the ground. Effective action is essential to ensure that multinational corporations meet their obligations of due diligence in supply chains.
Loss of employment, reductions in income, limited means of securing livelihoods and nationwide school closures have created conditions that have amplified the risks of trafficking in persons, according to IOM.
In addition to the root causes of human trafficking reportedly intensifying, it is feared that Bangladesh has experienced an increase in forms of abuse and exploitation, it said.
Recent trends and media headlines suggest that traffickers are using online platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp etc. to lure potential victims of human trafficking.
Read: Man accused in trafficking of 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya
The ongoing pandemic coupled with restrictions to mobility and movements mainly imposed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have had diverse impacts on people’s vulnerability to human trafficking, including migrants from and to Bangladesh, which makes the World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2021 particularly important.
Two Bangladeshi women trafficked to India returns via Benapole
Indian authorities on Wednesday sent back two Bangladeshi women, who were trafficked to the country, through the Benapole border.
The two women have been identified as Moushumi Khatun, 24, and Mariam Khatun, 25, residents of Sirajganj and Jashore districts, respectively.
India’s Petrapole immigration authorities handed over the two women to their counterparts in Benapole this morning.
Also read: Passengers can travel to India every day, but return on 3 days through Benapole
Office-bearers of ‘Justice and Care’, an NGO in Jashore, Shaoli Sultana, said, "Moushumi and Mariam went to India’s Mumbai illegally with the hope of grabbing well-paid jobs but ended up getting risky jobs there."
Tipped off, Indian cops arrested them and an NGO subsequently kept them at its shelter home, she said.
The Indian police sent the women back to Bangladesh on travel permits following exchange of letters at Home Ministry level, said Shaoli.
Also read: 304 enter through Benapole after fresh regulations
Officer-in-Charge of Benapole immigration police said that after the immigration formalities, the two women were sent to the Benapole hotel to undergo the mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine.
Rab arrests seven members of an alleged human trafficking gang
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested seven people, including an alleged chief coordinator of an international human trafficking syndicate, in simultaneous drives on Saturday night in Madaripur, Gupalgonj and Dhaka.
The arrestees were identified as chief coordinator “Rubel Syndicate” Md. Ashiq, known as ‘Euro Ashik’ , 25, Md. Azizul Haque,35, Md Mizanur Rahman Mizan, 43, Nazmul Huda, 31, Sima Akhter,23, Helena Begum, 42, and Polly Akhter,43.
The elite force said it also recovered 17 passports, 14 cheque books of various banks, Tk 56,670 in cash and other documents from their possessions.
Also read: Bangladeshi returnee from Mauritius files human trafficking case against recruiting agency
The drives came amid reports of growing incidents of trafficking people luring them with jobs abroad.
Some 43 people were killed / missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia on June 28-29 last month while going to Europe illegally. Besides, some 84 people were rescued from a wrecked boat off the coast of Tunisia. Among them were citizens of Bangladesh, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea and Chand.
The deaths due to movements of illegal migrants on risky routes were critically highlighted in international and domestic media.
In the past too, RAB has been able to arrest several members of such Bangladeshi human trafficking syndicate. The racket takes huge amount of money by fraud from innocent people.
Also read: Law Minister seeks coordinated response against human trafficking
In the wake of the alleged fraud, cases have been filed by relatives of the victims in Bangladesh at various times. Complaints have also been received from several families who have gone missing at different times. Accordingly, RAB has intensified its intelligence surveillance.
Based on secret information, a special joint team comprising Intelligence wing of the Rab headquarters and members of Rab-8 battalion, carried out simultaneous drives in Madaripur, Gupalgonj and Dhaka from 10:00 pm on Saturday night and it was continued till 6:00 am on Sunday, said an official of the Rab headquarters.
Interrogation of the arrestees revealed that they have been involved in this crime for a long time luring the victims with lucrative jobs abroad. They work in collaboration with their foreign counterparts, he added.
Bangladeshi returnee from Mauritius files human trafficking case against recruiting agency
A Bangladeshi woman who went to the African nation Mauritius last year through a recruiting agency has filed a case accusing the company of human trafficking.
According to the case statement, the woman was taken to Fire Mount Textile Company in Mauritius after she reached there on February 5, 2020. From then she started working as a helper there although the company didn’t pay her wages regularly.
Md Shah Alam,43, a Bangladeshi man who used to run the worker’s canteen and his assistants Furkan, Siddique and Aslam used to threaten her as she refused the indecent proposal of the company’s owner through them.
One day they took her to the owner Anil Kohli’s house saying he had complained against her. She was raped there by Anil Kohli and they captured footage of her. Later they raped her many times and forced her to have physical relationships with others, threatening to spread the video footage on social media.
Also read: Trafficking Report: Bangladesh still on Tier 2
They even made her abort a child as she became pregnant at one point, she claimed in her statement.
On December 28, 2020, the woman was sent back to Bangladesh with the condition of not filing any complaint against them and before that in November they recruited her father in her place.
Since she filed the complaint her father is being threatened by the perpetrators now, she said.
According to her more than 600 Bangladeshi women work in that factory where Shah Alam, Furkan, Siddique, Aslam forcefully engage them in prostitution and the owner Anil Kohli oppresses them.
After the news was broadcast in Bangladeshi and Mauritius news media the culprits are trying to convince her to solve the matter outside the court through different ways.
Also read: Trafficking of 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya: Bail of 4 accused suspended
The woman filed the case with the help of the BRAC Migration program that helped her to recover from the traumatizing incident that happened with her.
Head of the BRAC Migration program Shariful Hasan said the description the victim gave was grim.
Sexually oppressing and engaging in forceful prostitution in the name of recruitment in a foreign country falls under human trafficking, he said.
The Government of Mauritius and Bangladesh should jointly investigate the matter, if any other Bangladeshi immigrant worker is being oppressed like this, said Shariful Hasan.