In pursuit of a better future in Italy, several young Bangladeshis, including Sujon Farazi from Madaripur, tragically perished when their boat capsized in the Libyan Gulf. Similarly, Humayun Kabir from Natore lost his life in a drone attack on the battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine war. In recent years, the deaths of fortune-seeking youths, deceived by traffickers have become a recurring tragedy.
According to a report by Prothom Alo, Sujan Farazi had aspired to change his fate by migrating to Italy. As his father opposed the decision, he secretly took BDT 1.6 million from his aunt to finance his journey. However he never reached Italy. On 25 January, a vessel carrying 56 passengers sank in the Mediterranean and 23 bodies were later recovered from the shore. However, not all perished by drowning.
Mintu Howladar, the father of Faridpur’s Kamarakhali resident Hridoy Howladar, stated that their group was scheduled to travel to Italy by a ship on the night of 24 January. When traffickers attempted to transport them on a small boat instead, many refused to board. Those who resisted were reportedly shot dead, while those who boarded ultimately drowned.
What a horrifying situation! The human traffickers who ensnare the country’s youth and lead them to their demise abroad continue to operate with impunity. Under the guise of manpower export, a section of traffickers specifically target fortune-seeking young individuals, extorting large sums of money from them.
Monir Sheikh, a trafficker from the Majumdarkandi area of Rajoir upazila in Madaripur, had agreed to take Sujon to Italy in exchange for BDT 1.5 million. According to family members, at least 12 of those who perished in Libya were from Madaripur and Faridpur.
A trafficking syndicate in Libya detains young individuals attempting to reach Italy and subjects them to severe torture. Only after extracting substantial ransom payments from their families in Bangladesh they are released.
According to the sources at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli, 4200 Bangladeshis have been repatriated in the past one and a half years after being rescued from various detention centres in Libya. However, over a thousand more remain illegally detained there. Over the past decade, Bangladeshis have compromised the largest group attempting to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.
Between 2009 and 2024, approximately 84,000 Bangladeshis have travelled to Europe via this perilous sea route, with an average of at least 100 Bangladeshis drowning every year.
Migration analyst Asif Munir told Deutsche Welle that not only domestic but also international syndicates are involved in this operation. Each individual requires between BDT 1.6 million and BDT 2 million for the journey. However, despite spending such large sums, many migrants find themselves in grave danger- some perish, others are imprisoned or held in detention camps.
Although the government may not be able to apprehend the international syndicates, it certainly has the capacity to take action against the domestic ones. Will the government limit its responsibility to merely repatriating the bodies of these unfortunate young men? Why is no action being taken against those who lure these fortunate-seekers abroad only to lead them to their deaths?
Some authorised manpower export agencies are also complicit in this trafficking network, as they facilitate the process of sending individuals abroad.
In the past, several cases were filed against such organisations, yet no concrete action was taken. This inaction is largely due to the fact that many individuals involved in these syndicates were influential figures linked to the ruling political party. The interim government must adopt a zero-tolerance policy against these fraudulent networks.
To put an end to human trafficking abroad, those involved must be brought under the law. The government must take decisive action to halt this deadly journey undertaken by Bangladeshi youth. The most effective alternative to prevent such tragedies is to create better employment opportunities for young people within the country.