Human trafficking

Even if the United States of America did not rank Bangladesh as a 'tier-2' country in its report titled "Trafficking in Persons", the problem would not have been any less grave. Aptly termed modern-day slavery, the plight of its victims at times pales before the cruellest possible human treatment the world now knows of. It is a national shame and certainly there is no way to deny that enough is not being done to bring an end to the vile practice. For any self-respecting nation, it is a disgrace that youths looking for employment abroad perish in high seas of the Bay of Bengal or the Mediterranean. In the same way, it does not add to the nation's credit when women are lured with a false promise of a decent job in countries of the Middle-east and then turned into sex slaves. Also gangs take the nefarious art to new height by colluding with their counterparts in the host country or any nearby country. They simply operate as international mafia, asking fat ransom from families of the young migrants at home in Bangladesh.   

Sure enough, not all of those trafficked clandestinely end up in the high seas or in the desert or snows in the Swiss Alps but the life they lead as illegal migrants is much too wretched, to say the least. In constant fear of the law enforcers, they work for a pittance and live a life of fugitives. The fact that an unusual number of Bangladeshi workers die in foreign lands gives an idea of the death toll of such migrants who are unaccounted for. Now, the gangs operating at home are doing so with the sole motive of making quick bucks. They are heartless greedy people devoid of conscience but it is impossible for them to operate without support from some sections of personnel within the law enforcement agencies. There are people who prepare false documents and issue fake passports or visas. How can they go undetected? Even the coastal areas used for mooring the trawlers before its departure for the South-east Asian countries are known spots. Patrolling the areas can be enough for spotting the illegal movements of traffickers and their batches of victims. In fact, one or two batches could be stopped before the sailing of the boats.

In a country with an oversize population and severe unemployment, youths are sure to look for avenues to earn their livelihoods -be it at home or abroad. It is exactly at this point, the role of the government figures at the top. There is a need for planning with its population on the basis of a comprehensive survey of the human resources. Employment generation at home together with education and skill development for the young generation with an eye to jobs abroad can be done in a systematic way. Preparation of a national data bank still remains limited to proposals. Why? Had it been done, its benefit could be reaped in areas ranging from law enforcement to recruitment abroad. Also this well corresponds to the prerequisites for a digitised Bangladesh.