The cost of human trafficking

The world observed with due solemnity the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021 on Friday. This year’s theme was “Victims’ Voices lead the way”, meaning, taking into cognizance the importance of listening to and learning from the stories of survivors or victims of human trafficking. Experts believe that survivors are key actors in the fight against human trafficking, so we should listen to their firsthand accounts. Victims should be heard and brought forward so they can play a crucial role in finding effective ways to rescue victims and support them for rehabilitation.

Trafficking can have a devastating impact on victims’ life; not only can it harm them physically, but also can turn them into paupers economically. Most of them sell lands and other property to pay for the perilous journey into uncertainty. In their desperation to reach a country of affluence they often end up in a desert or forest or a slave camp in a neighboring country. Many such desperate souls, including Bangladeshis, have drowned in the sea.     

According to a UN report, “many victims of human trafficking have experienced ignorance or misunderstanding in their attempts to get help. They have had traumatic post-rescue experiences during identification interviews and legal proceedings. Some have faced revictimization and punishment for crimes they were forced to commit as per order of their traffickers. Others have been subjected to stigmatization or received inadequate support.”

UN experts on preventing trafficking believe that learning from victims’ experiences and turning their suggestions into concrete actions will lead to a more victim-centred and effective approach in combating human trafficking. Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are global and widespread crimes that use men, women and children for profit. “The organized networks or individuals behind these lucrative crimes take advantage of people who are vulnerable, desperate or simply seeking a better life. UN strives for the eradication of these crimes through the dismantling of the criminal enterprises that trade in people and the conviction of the main perpetrators. UN strives towards safeguarding people from the abuse, neglect, exploitation or even death that is associated with these crimes.

The ongoing scourge of Covid-19 shows that the disease has had devastating impact on victims and survivors of human trafficking.  Traffickers in countries including Bangladesh took advantage of the crisis, capitalizing on peoples’ loss of income and desperation to search for an income source. No doubt, the pandemic has increased vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons.

Chief of UNODC’s Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section said,  “The pandemic has led to major job losses in many sectors and this creates opportunities for criminal networks to take advantage of desperate people.” He further said that children are being increasingly targeted by traffickers who are using social media and other online platforms to recruit new victims and profit from the increased demand for child sexual exploitation materials. 

Experts observe that crime thrives in times of crisis, and traffickers adapt quickly to the ‘new normal’. In some countries, police officers were reassigned from their regular duties to control national efforts to curb the spread of COVID, providing the traffickers with an opportunity to operate with less risk of being detected.

We feel that creation of greater awareness throughout the social strata and providing job opportunities to the jobless can bring the rate of trafficking down.