The scourge of human trafficking and illegal migration continues to haunt Bangladesh as the country remains the top source of illegal entries to Europe through the perilous central Mediterranean route.
As Bangladesh joins the global community in observance of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (WDTIP) on Wednesday, it continues to struggle with too many cases of illegal migration and a poor state of justice delivery when it comes to disposing of thousands of pending cases of human trafficking.
Nearly one in every three illegal entries detected in Europe (through the central Mediterranean route) in the first six months of 2025 was found to be Bangladeshi.
Besides, Bangladesh is grappling with too many human trafficking cases with too little disposal rate. When it comes to meting out punishment to the traffickers, the rate drops further.
In January last year, there were 3,719 human trafficking cases pending in the country and the yearend stocktaking put that number at 4,291 – as it keeps on increasing.
Bangladesh tops a chart it better shouldn’t have
Bangladeshis are top among nationals who took to illegal migration routes to Europe between January and June this year.
According to the latest statistics of the European Border and Coastguard Agency, Frontex, 29,340 incidents of illegal border crossing to Europe though the central Mediterranean route were detected during the January-June period of this year, with Bangladesh being on top as the source country of the migrants making illegal entries.
The top five source countries are: Bangladesh (9,678), Eritrea (4,295), Egypt (3,446), Pakistan (2,615) and Ethiopia (1,407).
The development unfortunately made last year’s European risk analysis report true.
In its risk analysis report for 2024-25, Frontex predicted that Bangladeshis along with people of a few other nationalities would continue to attempt illegal border crossings to reach European destinations.
The Central Mediterranean is just one of the six routes of illegal entries that Frontex keeps tab on. The other routes are: Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Land Borders, Western Mediterranean, Western African and Western Balkans.
Frontex also reports, 19,607 incidents of illegal border crossing to Europe though the Eastern Mediterranean route detected during the January-June period of this year. Bangladesh’s name is also there among the top five source countries.
These countries are: Afghanistan (5,903), Egypt (3,453), Sudan (2,290), Bangladesh (1,339), and Syria (1,049).
The stretch of the Mediterranean Sea between North Africa and on the European side Italy and Malta is one of the main migratory routes to Europe. The northward movements are joined by migratory movements from the Eastern Mediterranean area. The Frontex report noted last year that Bangladeshis, Syrians and Tunisians were the top nationalities, accounting for around half of all migrants arriving via this route.
Too little punishment, too many acquittals
If the home ministry official tracking of trafficking cases is something to go by, the rate of case disposal remains low as newer cases continue adding up to an already high number of pending cases.
Besides, in most of the cases – that are being disposed of – the accused are getting acquittals, an indication of the fact that the cases were not probed well in the first place or not much efforts had been made to ensure the presence of proper witnesses during the trial proceedings.
In 2023, the accused were acquitted in around 92% of the cases disposed and last year the percentage rose to almost 94%.
In other words, only in 6% to 8% cases are the accused getting punished while the rest have been getting acquittals.
In its flagship annual report on trafficking in persons (TIP), the United States stated last year that Bangladesh did not set up any new tribunal to handle the increasing number of cases and protection of the trafficking victims remained insufficient.
Pledges and reality
In April this year, Dhaka played host to a meeting of the BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Sub-group on Human Trafficking.
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retired) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury categorically told the meeting that Bangladesh remains steadfast in its commitment to prevent human trafficking.
He claimed that Bangladesh had taken proactive steps to combat human trafficking, referring to the measures, which include: formulating a national action plan, efficiently identifying victims of human trafficking, assessing their needs and connecting them with appropriate service providers.
But when it comes to giving protection to the victims, it’s increasingly becoming a concern as the justice delivery system is not being able to cope with the number of trafficking cases and in the absence of proper probe, prosecution and witness productions, most of the accused are getting acquitted.
From January to December last year, only 60 accused were awarded punishments in 21 human trafficking cases. In contrast, as many as 1,250 accused got acquittals in 342 cases.
Then again, among the ones who got punishments, only a few received jail terms while a majority got away with paying fines.
In a message marking the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out that criminals exploit legal loopholes and take advantage of migration flows in trafficking people.
Shariful Hasan, associate director of Migration Programme and Youth Platform at BRAC, told Dhaka Tribune that the investigation agencies are not showing their due diligence in probing the cases properly and in many cases the poor victims and plaintiffs are being forced by powerful trafficking rackets to settle cases out of court.
Regarding too many youths taking to the perilous path of the Mediterranean route, Shariful Hasan said many are choosing to leave the country by any means owing to multiple factors such as unemployment and poor governance at home. He emphasized promoting safe migration so that people don’t endure many risks of illegal migration.
Breaking business model that sustains human trafficking
In a statement on the eve of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, termed human trafficking as a horrific crime and a gross violation of human rights.
“It is one of the fastest-growing forms of organized crime – run by ruthless networks that prey on vulnerability and profit from pain.”
This is a brutal, highly organized enterprise built on deception, coercion and exploitation. And it is evolving rapidly, he cautioned.
According to the UN Secretary-General, the criminal groups are operating across borders with alarming speed and sophistication, exploiting legal loopholes, infiltrating legitimate industries and supply chains, taking advantage of migration flows, and using technology to recruit, control and abuse – including through online sexual exploitation or forcing victims into cyber-scams.
Antonio Guterres said: “We must respond with unity and urgency. We can do so by breaking the business model that sustains human trafficking – ending impunity, cutting off illicit profits, and strengthening law enforcement and justice systems.”
He expressed the firm resolve that perpetrators must be held accountable.
A home ministry official, Aminul Islam, said: "Poverty, unemployment, and limited awareness remain the core drivers of trafficking. Vulnerable populations, especially in rural areas, are often unaware of deceptive recruitment practices or the dangers of irregular migration."
He noted that despite having robust legal frameworks, the low conviction rates, case backlogs, and lack of specialized courts hinder justice. "Many cases fail due to poor evidence collection and prolonged legal processes."