Published: 08:05 AM, 03 April 2026
Human Trafficking: Death Trap in Desert Sands and Bottomless Seas
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain
The hot sands of the desert and the blue waters of the bottomless sea—on one side, the cries of thirst, on the other, the swallowing of salty water. A brutal death trap is hidden in between. The 22 fresh lives that have disappeared into the salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea in the past few days are not just numbers; rather, they are the stories of 22 dreams, 22 families, and 22 mournful sighs. In the words of the world poet Rabindranath Tagore— "I do not want to die in a beautiful world, I want to live among humans." However, blinded by the infatuation of a single chest of illusory dreams and ambitions, today's young society is leaving that beautiful world and taking steps towards suicide. It was possible to grow a golden crop in their own country with the few lakhs of rupees handed over to the broker, but the mirage of a 'better life' has taken them into a dark hole from which there is no way back.
When the sting of poverty and the specter of a golden future devour a young person in this green Bengal, then the story of a tragic journey begins. Human trafficking is not just a crime, but a stigmatized wound on the body of modern civilization, which is constantly emptying the hearts of thousands of parents. Those who leave their homes with their hearts full of hope for a better life, remain unaware that they are actually stepping into a terrible death trap, where the sandy desert or the salty water of the turbulent sea becomes their last bed.
This cruel practice of buying and selling human beings or human trafficking is a terrible curse of the modern world. The following is a picture of this issue in the international and Bangladeshi context: The roots of human trafficking are basically rooted in ancient slavery. In ancient times, prisoners of war or people from certain communities were forced into forced labor or sexual slavery. That dark chapter in history has taken a new form in modern times as ‘human trafficking’.
When the demand for labor increased greatly in the post-industrial revolution period, the tendency to move people from one region to another increased. In the late 20th century, globalization opened borders and facilitated transportation, giving traffickers the opportunity to build international networks.
In the context of Bangladesh, the history of human trafficking is mainly associated with poverty and the desire to migrate in search of a better life. In many cases, the seeds of trafficking were sown in this country by sending people illegally under the guise of exporting manpower to the Middle East in the 1970s and 1980s.
In the 1990s, incidents of women and children being trafficked to the Middle East for use as camel jockeys sparked a storm of condemnation around the world. This was a turning point in the fight against human trafficking for Bangladesh.
In the current century, the misuse of technology and the internet has made the trafficking process more complicated. Now, not only physical force, but also by showing fake online advertisements or temptations, traffickers are expanding their chains.
Bangladesh is currently known as one of the sources and transit points of this crisis. Due to its historical geographical location and densely populated area, cases of trafficking by sea and land have been going on from this country for a long time.
According to the latest data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), more than 50 million people are currently victims of modern slavery in the world. A large part of them are forced into forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation through trafficking. Every year, criminal gangs earn about 150 billion dollars in illegal profits from this sector.
In the case of Bangladesh, the statistics are very worrying. According to information from various government and private organizations, every year thousands of Bangladeshis fall into the clutches of traffickers in the hope of a better life. The number of deaths, especially on the way to Malaysia or Thailand through the Bay of Bengal and the number of drownings in the Mediterranean Sea on the way to Europe via Libya is constantly increasing.
Human trafficking is mainly carried out in three processes: source country, transit country and destination country. Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines are mainly known as ‘source countries’ from which people are trafficked.
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia are used as both transit and destination for traffickers. In particular, the case of ransom being collected by holding trafficked people in the jungles of Thailand has shocked the world.
Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are mainly the main destinations for labor trafficking. In many cases, workers are forced to work in inhumane conditions for nominal wages or without pay.
Libya has now become a terrible ‘hub’ or center of human trafficking. People from Africa and South Asia risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea and try to send them to Europe.
Developed European countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain are the final destination of many trafficked people. However, even if they manage to reach there, they are often forced to live inhumane lives under the label of illegal immigrants.
Trafficked people are also found in the United States and North American countries. Here, they are mainly trafficked for cheap labor exploitation in the agricultural sector and the service industry.
Neighboring country India is one of the main destinations for trafficking of women and children from Bangladesh. They are lured across various borders and used as labor slaves in sex camps or domestic work.
The web of trafficking gangs spreads like a spider from the village to the world court. At the international level, these syndicates are very well organized. They are skilled in eluding or colluding with the border guards of different countries. From transporting people in small boats by sea to torturing them in prisons abroad—these gangs conduct everything with a cold head.
The internal gangs in Bangladesh usually target simple people in the villages. They lure them with fake visas through local representatives known as 'brokers'. These local brokers are in turn linked to large agencies based in Dhaka, which have close links with international criminal syndicates.
Human trafficking is a heinous crime and human rights violation. It requires an active role from people from every level of society to prevent it. The following are the things to be done: The main task of the government in preventing human trafficking is to ensure strict implementation of existing laws. A just environment must be created by speedy trial and exemplary punishment of traffickers.
It is very important to make the general public aware of the prevention of trafficking. The public should be made aware of the dangers of trafficking and the strategies of traffickers through meetings, seminars and media campaigns by government and private initiatives.
The police, BGB and RAB should increase special surveillance in trafficking-prone areas. The network of trafficking rings should be crushed by increasing intelligence activities, especially in border areas and airports.
Parents should pay special attention to the movements and friends of their children. They should be aware that no one can lead their children astray by showing excessive greed or the temptation of a better life, and they should maintain friendly relations with their children.
Those who have returned after being victims of trafficking should be accepted with compassion without socially degrading them. Victims should help the law enforcement agencies by providing information about traffickers so that no one else falls into this trap.
In the case of employment or travel abroad, the general public must verify information through a government-approved agency. One should refrain from trading passports or money under the temptation of any middleman or broker.
Poverty and unemployment are the main causes of trafficking. Therefore, employment should be increased within the country and the youth should be educated in technical education and transformed into skilled manpower.
In the present era, traffickers are trapping young people using social media. Therefore, everyone should be careful when using the internet and refrain from responding to the temptation of strangers.
'Human Trafficking Prevention Committee' should be activated at every union and upazila level. An anti-trafficking social movement should be developed in coordination with local public representatives and prominent people.
Human trafficking is a global problem. Therefore, the process of rescuing and repatriating trafficked persons should be facilitated by exchanging information with neighboring countries and coordinating with international organizations.
Finally, I would like to say that life means struggle, but when that struggle pushes the sacred trust given by the Creator to the brink of destruction, then it is no longer heroism—it becomes extreme stupidity and suicide. The great poet Allama Iqbal said, "Know your soul, only then will you be able to conquer the world." A bowl of porridge made with sweat in the shade of one's parents' love in one's own country is much more satisfying and honorable than floating as an unloved corpse in a foreign land. One must remember that life is only available once; no illusory dream is more valuable than life. So remove the colorful curtain of ambition and embrace reality. Those who are still thinking of stepping on this dark path, come back to the path of light, to the lap of your loved ones. Your survival is the greatest asset of your family.
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain is an
essayist and President of the International Anti Drug
Organization- Freedom
International Anti-Alcohol.
