Beware of human trafficking

Human trafficking is the world's third largest criminal activity after drug and arms trafficking. The first two crimes are often associated with human trafficking. It is now the fastest growing activity of international criminal gangs. Many people in Bangladesh try to migrate to developed countries in the hope of living a better life. But in this process, many of our young men who are desperate to settle in European countries are drowning in the Mediterranean Sea, dying in the desert heat and even being tortured brutally by the international human trafficking and other criminal gangs.
Many of our youths believe if they can reach any country of Europe at any cost, their life will drastically change. Taking advantage of this, human trafficking rackets target our unemployed young men and allure them to embrace risky journeys to go to their dream countries illegally. According to a study, most of the people who are victims of human trafficking are extremely poor and they are mainly from five districts of Rangpur region, Bandarban, Kishoreganj, Magura and Jamalpur. Getting rid of human trafficking in Bangladesh is not easy as traffickers change their strategies every now and then. Our government has already taken some steps but those are not sufficient. The authorities concerned should take necessary steps to curb this crime. Awareness campaigns should be launched in the country so that no one tries to go abroad through illegal channels.

Ashikujaman Syed,
Foreign Service Officer,
Anhui Haikang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd,
Anqing, China,
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com