Joblessness triggers human trafficking

The recent rise in illegal human trafficking has been attributed by experts and private recruiters to inadequate overseas job opportunities both at home and abroad, coupled with poor vigilance by law enforcers.    
In this situation, the government should review the G-to-G (government to government) migration process to Malaysia and create more job opportunities at home and abroad. These will help reduce the incidence of illegal migration and trafficking.
They also emphasised on increasing vigilance in border areas and joint commission with concerned countries to combat trafficking as the international criminal
gangs from Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh are engaged in the crime.
The Thai authorities unearthed a good number of mass graves and bodies recently, believed to be of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants.
Besides, in October last year, around 171 Bangladeshi nationals were recovered from a coastal forest in Thailand. The illegal migrants were promised well-paid jobs by the smugglers.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) found that between 2012 and June 2014, more than 87,000 people travelled to Thailand and Malaysia through trawlers.
And a report of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) showed that between 2013 and 2014, nearly 20,000 Bangladeshis travelled through sea route.
RMMRU chair Tasneem Siddiqui said lower number of regular migration to Malaysia is working behind such human trafficking incidents.
She said although there is a very good demand for foreign workers in Malaysia, workers are unable to go there through formal channel because of slow G-to-G arrangement. So they are resorting to other channels and are being trapped by human smugglers.
"As the G-to-G process failed to make any notable progress to create jobs, it is now time to review this," she said.
The government should allow the private sector to create job opportunities to keep it under strong supervision, the RMMRU chair added.
Trafficking has been increasing from 2012 when the Malaysian labour market was opened, but the government did not take measures to prevent it. So far no case was filed under the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013, she said.
If any trafficker could be given exemplary punishment, the crime could not get such a shape, she also said.
"No proper initiative is yet to be taken for combating irregular migration and trafficking in Bangladesh," she added.
As the demand for overseas workers in Malaysia is very high and people are not getting jobs at home, especially those who belong to poorer section of the society are adamant to go there.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) president Mohammad Abul Bashar said nearly 3.0 million people enter the job market a year. But a small number of people gets jobs.
Besides, the number of overseas jobs declined in the last few years. Middleman and traffickers are taking advantage of such a situation.
There are no sufficient mills and factories in the country where poor and uneducated people can be employed.
The government should take diplomatic initiatives to create more jobs in Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries also. Besides, it can offer some sectors like construction, service, and agriculture to the private recruiters for Malaysia.
"Nearly 0.2 million workers can be employed in Malaysia a year. So people will obviously prefer to go there," he said.
Kuala Lumpur and Dhaka inked a deal on G-to-G manpower recruitment process in 2012. So far only 9,000 Bangladeshi workers secured jobs in Malaysia under G-to-G.
According to the latest Labour Force survey report, the country's total unemployed persons stood at 2.58 million (2,580,000) in 2013
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE) minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said the G-to-G arrangement is very transparent. As a new system is introduced, it takes sometime to get it fully operational and efficient.
"If we allow private recruiters, illegal migration will increase within a short time," he said   
The minister also said they are considering a work plan to combat human trafficking which will be discussed in the next meeting of the cabinet committee on law and order.
The incidents which happened in Thailand are very alarming and will have to be stopped at any cost, he added.  
"If necessary, the government will consider forming special squads to prevent human trafficking," he said.
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