Thirty-one students from across Bangladesh were awarded for their outstanding essays on combating human trafficking and people smuggling at a prize-giving ceremony organised by BRAC Migration Programme on Thursday.
The nationwide competition, held under the Australian Government-funded Mass Campaign to Combat Human Trafficking and People Smuggling, received 870 submissions from school, college and university students, reflecting strong youth engagement on the issue.
The award ceremony took place at BRAC Centre Inn in Mohakhali, Dhaka, where the shortlisted students, accompanied by their guardians, received certificates and prizes.
Speaking as the chief guest, literary researcher and essayist Prof Dr Syed Azizul Haque said human traffickers continue to succeed not only because of economic hardship but also due to a lack of education and awareness.
He said: "Human trafficking is not only the tragedy of those who become victims; it is a national concern. Preventing trafficking is everyone's responsibility, and initiatives like this essay competition help spread that message."
Special guest Afsana Begum, director of the National Book Centre, shared her experiences of seeing the suffering of Bangladeshi migrants during her time in Malaysia, stressing that greater awareness can save many people from exploitation.
Safi Rahman Khan, director of BRAC's Education, Skills Development and Migration Programme, said the fight against human trafficking and people smuggling is fundamentally about ensuring people's right to safe, regular and dignified migration.
He said: "We have long worked with young people and have seen that positive change happens when students become involved. This competition was designed to raise awareness among the younger generation."
BRAC Associate Director Shariful Islam Hasan said Bangladesh ranks as the world's sixth-largest labour migrant-sending country, yet migrant workers often receive little recognition.
"Our migrant workers contribute significantly to the country's economy, but their stories rarely appear in textbooks. Through this competition, we wanted students to think critically about migration, trafficking and the dignity of migrant workers," he said.
The competition was organised to improve students' ability to identify signs of human trafficking and people smuggling, raise awareness of the dangers of risky irregular sea migration, and promote safe, regular and legal migration.
Entries were evaluated in two categories: Class VIII to College and University.
In the university category, Niloy Biswas of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) emerged as champion, while Mohammad Fahad Hossain Fahim of Bangladesh Agricultural University became runner-up.
In the junior category, Nadratun Naeem Taqwa, a ninth-grade student of Khurushkul High School in Cox's Bazar, won the championship. Sadia Salma of Shaheed Azizul Haque Girls' Madrasa and Arafat Shahin Kamal of Sabrang High School in Teknaf jointly became first runners-up, while Sejuti Akter Ayesha of Pirujali Adarsha Bidyalaya in Gazipur secured third place.
Runner-up Arafat Shahin said human trafficking and abduction have become alarmingly common in Teknaf.
He said: "People are kidnapped, trafficked, tortured, and videos of the abuse are sent to families to demand ransom. Many families are forced to sell their property to pay the money. This problem requires urgent action."
Participant Mobasshira Anjum, a student of YWCA Higher Girls' School in Dhaka, said researching for the essay opened her eyes to the scale of the crisis.
"I realised for the first time how widespread human trafficking and people smuggling are and how devastating their consequences can be," she said.
The event also featured testimonies from Mannan Chhaiyal, who returned from a cyber scam centre in Cambodia, and Ang Ang Jewel, a human trafficking survivor from Cox's Bazar. They shared their experiences and urged people to remain vigilant against trafficking networks.
The awareness campaign has been implemented in educational institutions across Bangladesh by BRAC Migration Programme under a joint initiative of the Australian Border Force and BRAC Migration Programme, aiming to build greater awareness among young people about human trafficking, people smuggling and safe migration.