Menace of Human Trafficking

by Jan 25, 2025Diaspora0 comments

UNODC expands EU-funded work against human trafficking and migrant smuggling to South Asia

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union (EU) have launched “Preventing and Addressing Trafficking in Human Beings and the Smuggling of Migrants in South Asia”, a €9 million regional project to support Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in their efforts to eradicate these crimes, according to report released in Vienna, Austria on 23rd January 2025.

“Despite to the efforts of countries in South Asia, impunity for human traffickers and migrant smugglers remains alarmingly high,” said Ilias Chatzis, Chief of the UNODC Action against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, at the launch of the initiative.

UNODC and the ministries of the participating countries will implement the three-year project.

According to UNODC data, migrant smuggling in South Asia is seriously under-reported and often under-investigated.

Migrants are smuggled both within the region and to destinations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Europe and other places.

According to the 2024 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, the scale of human trafficking in South Asia is also worrying. In 2022, more than 8,000 victims were detected, predominantly women and boys. Another 2,200 victims from South Asian countries were detected in other regions including Europe and the Middle East.

Most detected victims in South Asia are trafficked for forced labour, while about one-third are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

These figures represent only a small fraction of the true scale of trafficking in South Asia, as countless victims are never identified.

“The European Union’s comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling stems from its commitment to protect fundamental human rights, promote justice, and enhance cooperation with our partners,” said Michael Miller, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh.

UNODC will support South Asian countries develop anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling strategies, policies and legal frameworks; enhance the capacity of criminal justice professionals; strengthen international cooperation and communication; empower and protect women and children who are victims of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry globally and a leading human rights challenge that disproportionately affects women and youth. A significant problem across South Asia is that typical practices of human traffickers include exploiting individuals who are seeking to migrate to neighboring countries looking for economic opportunities.

Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – is a hub of irregular and regular migration flows. Widespread news coverage of Indian and Nepalese migrants illegally entering the United States through Guatemala and Mexico (Irfan, 2012; Wells, 2013), and Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants roaming in Kuala Lumpur to make their way to Australia for seeking asylum are some of the examples of what irregular migration looks like in the region.

While all forms of irregular migration may not involve smuggling, most cases of irregular migration from and to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are undertaken with the assistance of migrant smugglers.

The dynamics of irregular migration in the region is largely rooted in political conflicts, ethnic violence, economic disparities, deep poverty and food insecurity. Nevertheless, it also reflects the aspirations of relatively educated and wealthy individuals and families to settle in “western” developed countries.

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x