Interview: Human Trafficking in Bangladesh

9 June 2009 - UNODC Bangladesh recently held a one-on-one interview with Prof. Md. Zakir Hossain, the Dean, Faculty of Law, at University of Chitagong and Member, Judicial Service Commission, People's Republic of Bangladesh. Prof Hossain gives an overview of the human trafficking situation in Bangladesh, and explains how Bangladeshi legislation addresses the issue.

UNODC: Can you describe the problem of human trafficking in Bangladesh? Which forms do exist?

Prof. Hossain: Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. Trafficking in persons is nothing short of modern-day slavery. It is, therefore, not only a problem for Bangladesh but rather it is a global problem. Bangladesh along with other regional and international partners is making continuous efforts to eliminate this vice. Despite this, human trafficking is expanding at an alarming rate. The most common forms of human trafficking in Bangladesh are, among others, trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, domestic servitude, forced labour and other exploitations.

UNODC: How big is the problem of human trafficking in Bangladesh? Is this an internal or also an external problem?

Prof. Hossain: Human trafficking is now considered one of the major concerns for Bangladesh. Given the complex, organized and clandestine nature of the crime, and deliberate reluctance and avoidance of the victim's family to report the cases of trafficking for a number of socio-psychological reasons, it is difficult to have appropriate data and statistics on human trafficking. However, various studies reveal that over one million women and children were trafficked out of the country in the last 30 years. A UNICEF report says that approximately 400 women and children in Bangladesh are victims of trafficking each month. Another study reports that approximately 300,000 Bangladeshi children and women between the age group of 12- 30 were trafficked to India alone in the last ten years. The annual report of a Pakistan based organization, Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid, reveals that nearly 200,000 Bangladeshi girls and women were sold in Pakistan. All these statistics indicate how big the problem of human trafficking is in Bangladesh.

Both internal and cross border trafficking exist in Bangladesh. In case of internal trafficking, women and children are often taken away from their homes, on false promise of a better life with good employment or by using various other criminal acts and means by the traffickers who sell them to brothels. It is mainly people from rural areas with minimal survival options and worst sufferers of the discriminatory socio-cultural practices, who are lured or deceived for a better life and more lucrative job opportunities in cities. At the cross-border level, victims are transported and/or transferred to further destinations such as India, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries on promises of a better life or by using other illegal acts and processes which culminate in the most corrosive forms of human rights violations and a life of unspeakable agony and torture.

To read the full interview