Hope and despair

It is human nature to seek out a path that would improve our lives and that of our loved ones. Who would not want to provide three meals a day for their children, or who could turn a blind eye to the laments of an ailing parent who is suffering due to their inability to pay for treatment? Poverty is perhaps the number one reason vulnerable young people are falling victims to lies and deceit of human traffickers. In the hope of building a better future, so they may financially aid their families, tens of thousands of men and women are falling victims to human trafficking every year and the situation has not changed much over the past few years.
In 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, designating July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. The resolution declared that such a day was necessary to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”
Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for various purposes, including forced labour and sex. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims, the UN says.
According to a 2016 US State Department report on ‘Trafficking in Persons’ released on June 30, “Bangladesh is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking”. Women and girls who migrate for domestic work are particularly vulnerable to abuse, the report observes.
Despite making significant efforts, Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the US report says. The government significantly increased trafficking investigations—with a notable increase in labour trafficking investigations from 12 cases in 2014 to 265 cases in 2015. It also funds nine multipurpose shelters, drop-in centres and safe homes for victims of trafficking.
Prosecutions also increased, and the government has launched a  national action plan for 2015-2017. However, the implementing rules for the 2012 Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act (PSHTA) are yet to be finalised and the delay is “impeding the identification, rescue, and rehabilitation of trafficking victims”, the report adds.
The Weekend Independent talked to a couple of victims who were lucky enough to escape, and to nongovernment organisations that have been working as anti-trafficking agencies to identify the ways in which people are convinced to leave their homes, only to fall victim to the worst form of human rights violation.

Two women, Rushi Akhter Brishty and Fahima Akhter Nazma agreed to share their stories so that it may help spread awareness against human trafficking. But the victims, who still live in fear, requested this correspondent not to publish their photos.

Rushi Akhter Brishty

I went along with my sister. We were told by our neighbours that we would be given jobs as shopkeepers in Indonesia, with monthly salary of Tk 20,000. It seemed like a life-changing opportunity and the two sisters who were our neighbours earned a lot. Within a span of one- and-half years, they were able to renovate their house and their family’s standing improved considerably. We were encouraged especially because we were told that no money was required beforehand. Once we reached the (Indian) border, they called Rocky, the broker who carries out the deal. That is when we were told that we were being taken to work in the sex trade. It was too late to turn back and my sister, who is younger than me, was terrified at the prospect. Once we reached Mumbai, they bought new clothes for us, we even had grooming sessions. My sister was inconsolable and she ran away. With the help of a kind man she was able to return home within a month, but fate had other plans for me. When I tried to run away, I was caught by the authorities and taken to the shelter home where I contacted Dipti Bol of BNWLA (Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association). And here I am today, after almost one-and-half years, reunited with my baby daughter. It was a dreadful experience to say the least.

Fahima Akhter Nazma

I was deceived by a man I thought was a friend. He used to reside in our area and we spoke and met up often. He proposed to me to have a relationship with him but I refused. But we kept in touch. One day he told me that his sister was getting married in Jessore and invited me to attend the ceremony with him. He was always nice to me, so I agreed to go with him. We crossed a small river and reached a house on the other side. My so-called friend left me at that house and went his own way. I cried and cried and the man of the house told me that he did not buy me with Tk 30,000 to send me back. He had two wives and both of them were sex workers. I ran away and on the road, I met a girl and told her my story and she took me to the police station, where I was sold back to the man who had purchased me. Then two days later, a different police officer came and took me to the ‘Rescue Foundation’ where I have been staying for the last three years. I learned self-defence and many other things there. I owe a lot to the people there and here at BNWLA as well. I am grateful for their intervention.

In an interview at the BNWLA premises recently, Salma Ali, an advocate and a leading human rights activist who is also the executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, listed ways in which people are lured into trafficking. False promises such as guarantee of a good job, marriage proposal, fake marriage, pretence of a love affair are very common entrapments, aside from kidnapping and outright trade where the victims are sold by people they are familiar with.
“They are vulnerable to trafficking schemes due to poverty, gender-based discrimination on social protection, lack of information among the public about trafficking, weak enforcement of existing relevant laws and policies, and general lack of good governance,” Salma Ali said.
The BNWLA conducts thorough research and surveys on this inhuman act of human trade and findings show that Bangladesh is a source country for human trafficking, with thousands of women and girls being trafficked to India, Pakistan and the Middle East for sex slavery, prostitution and bonded labour. The studies conducted point out that discrimination, child marriage, dowry-related violence, illiteracy, poverty and of course overpopulation are central to the list of problems. Waterways, land routes and in many cases, air travel, are major means of trafficking individuals.
Talking about her Salma Ali experiences of working in the anti-trafficking field, Salma Ali said: “I have been active in this field for over 20 years now, and back then most cases were of women and children who were forced into prostitution in Pakistan and India mostly. In many cases, citizens of Myanmar were sold off as Bangladeshi and Indian and we have also repatriated many such victims. But now the volume of trafficking has increased a lot and spread all over India, from Goa to Bangalore to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, it is widespread and many are waiting to be rescued and return home. Demand is there and the supply channel is strong. You can run a 10-part series about the stories of the survivors and still there will be much left of their harrowing stories. This is an open secret, the human trade is being carried out under the presence of border guards.”
“The law exists to curb this illegal activity, but rules are yet to be decided and implemented. A monitoring cell has been created. India and Bangladesh have jointly adopted a process for smooth repatriation and the mechanisms have been developed and signed by both nations. The fundamental rights of repatriation has been ensured as well. But some things are still required, like implementation of a comprehensive law, victim witness protection mechanisms, a neutral investigation cell to investigate the cases lodged and establishment of a separate court. The rules on how everything should be carried out has not been approved yet.”
“Now what we do is carry out rescue missions, we lodge cases and lobby for the wellbeing of the survivors. But bringing back victims from India becomes lengthy when a case is ongoing at their end. Sometimes, it takes a year or two to bring them back. A unique case is that of Arifa, a two-year-old who was abducted by an Indian smuggler over a business dispute with her father. She was rescued and was taken to Shukarna Homes, but her return home was delayed due to cross-border procedural complicacies. When I learned about this, I rushed to Kolkata for lobbying so that she would be reunited with her family immediately. It was a puja holiday, despite all the obstacles, with help from the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata I was able to bring her back in about seven days without the process being too lengthy.”
“Whereas in the case of Karamjit Kaur, it took me years to hand her over to her family. She was brought to Narail from Kount Tehsil Batala in Punjab by a child trafficker who tried to sell her for Tk 40,000. She was only 11-months-old at the time she was snatched from her family. She was rescued by the police soon with the help of the locals at Narail. A case was filed by us immediately against the accused under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000. Subsequently, Karamjit was handed over to us for her repatriation. But it took us over two years to locate her hometown and during that period, she stayed at the BNWLA shelter home where she was aptly taken care of.”

“But even though we have so many success stories to share, that is not the proper solution. This is a serious concern which needs to be addressed properly in a regulated manner. In a while you will get to witness the handover of some survivors to their respective families. Many of them would refrain from lodging official complaints in fear of social stigma that would be associated with their families if word gets out. We have comprehensive packages for victim support and reintegration, but we are unable to house them for a longer period due to lack of funding. We can only do so much with the limited funding available at hand. We are running three homes with very little support, we the workers of BNWLA also contribute towards their maintenance. Sustainable reintegration is a lengthy process and we have a support network, Provati Andolon, whose members are all survivors who help others to get jobs and get settled in,” Salma Ali added.
Next, the Weekend got to witness the emotional reunion of some rescued children with their parents at the BNWLA office. The parents of the tiny trafficked victims signed legal documents in the presence of witnesses, and then they were free to take their children home.  

‘Missing Child Alert’ (MCA) aims to respond to the grave issue of child trafficking and the  ‘missing children’ in South Asia. The project is implemented in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. It is led by Plan International and SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children) with financial support from Post Code Loterij of the Netherlands. Dnet, a Bangladeshi social enterprise, is the regional partner of the MCA, playing the role of system integrator.
MCA is a unique intervention that aims to use technology and ICT-based tools to prevent and combat trafficking as part of anti-trafficking activities that include:
•    Protection and prevention of vulnerable communities at source and in transit
•    Repatriation, rehabilitation and re-integration of the victims of trafficking
•    Advocating legal and policy reform.
As part of the project, Dnet has designed and developed a web-based platform to facilitate repatriation of  trafficking survivors to their homes in Bangladesh or Nepal. Research shows that once a trafficking victim is rescued in India, it may take a long time, sometimes up to three years, for them to be repatriated to their home countries. There are a number of reasons responsible for this, including the fact that numerous stakeholders are involved in the process and they include state as well as non-state agencies. No mechanism existed to bring together these actors, resulting in interminable delays for rescued victims of trafficking to return home to their families.
The repatriation information management system (RIMS) aims to facilitate the process of repatriation by providing features for real-time tracking of cases, thus, bringing about uniformity in the process. The system is currently being piloted with early adopters in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

Hope and despair

It is human nature to seek out a path that would improve our lives and that of our loved ones. Who would not want to provide three meals a day for their children, or who could turn a blind eye to the laments of an ailing parent who is suffering due to their inability to pay for treatment? Poverty is perhaps the number one reason vulnerable young people are falling victims to lies and deceit of human traffickers. In the hope of building a better future, so they may financially aid their families, tens of thousands of men and women are falling victims to human trafficking every year and the situation has not changed much over the past few years. In 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, designating July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. The resolution declared that such a day was necessary to raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for various purposes, including forced labour and sex. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims, the UN says. According to a 2016 US State Department report on Trafficking in Persons released on June 30, Bangladesh is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. Women and girls who migrate for domestic work are particularly vulnerable to abuse, the report observes. Despite making significant efforts, Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the US report says. The government significantly increased trafficking investigationswith a notable increase in labour trafficking investigations from 12 cases in 2014 to 265 cases in 2015. It also funds nine multipurpose shelters, drop-in centres and safe homes for victims of trafficking. Prosecutions also increased, and the government has launched a national action plan for 2015-2017. However, the implementing rules for the 2012 Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act (PSHTA) are yet to be finalised and the delay is impeding the identification, rescue, and rehabilitation of trafficking victims, the report adds. The Weekend Independent talked to a couple of victims who were lucky enough to escape, and to nongovernment organisations that have been working as anti-trafficking agencies to identify the ways in which people are convinced to leave their homes, only to fall victim to the worst form of human rights violation. Two women, Rushi Akhter Brishty and Fahima Akhter Nazma agreed to share their stories so that it may help spread awareness against human trafficking. But the victims, who still live in fear, requested this correspondent not to publish their photos. Rushi Akhter Brishty I went along with my sister. We were told by our neighbours that we would be given jobs as shopkeepers in Indonesia, with monthly salary of Tk 20,000. It seemed like a life-changing opportunity and the two sisters who were our neighbours earned a lot. Within a span of one- and-half years, they were able to renovate their house and their familys standing improved considerably. We were encouraged especially because we were told that no money was required beforehand. Once we reached the (Indian) border, they called Rocky, the broker who carries out the deal. That is when we were told that we were being taken to work in the sex trade. It was too late to turn back and my sister, who is younger than me, was terrified at the prospect. Once we reached Mumbai, they bought new clothes for us, we even had grooming sessions. My sister was inconsolable and she ran away. With the help of a kind man she was able to return home within a month, but fate had other plans for me. When I tried to run away, I was caught by the authorities and taken to the shelter home where I contacted Dipti Bol of BNWLA (Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association). And here I am today, after almost one-and-half years, reunited with my baby daughter. It was a dreadful experience to say the least. Fahima Akhter Nazma I was deceived by a man I thought was a friend. He used to reside in our area and we spoke and met up often. He proposed to me to have a relationship with him but I refused. But we kept in touch. One day he told me that his sister was getting married in Jessore and invited me to attend the ceremony with him. He was always nice to me, so I agreed to go with him. We crossed a small river and reached a house on the other side. My so-called friend left me at that house and went his own way. I cried and cried and the man of the house told me that he did not buy me with Tk 30,000 to send me back. He had two wives and both of them were sex workers. I ran away and on the road, I met a girl and told her my story and she took me to the police station, where I was sold back to the man who had purchased me. Then two days later, a different police officer came and took me to the Rescue Foundation where I have been staying for the last three years. I learned self-defence and many other things there. I owe a lot to the people there and here at BNWLA as well. I am grateful for their intervention. In an interview at the BNWLA premises recently, Salma Ali, an advocate and a leading human rights activist who is also the executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, listed ways in which people are lured into trafficking. False promises such as guarantee of a good job, marriage proposal, fake marriage, pretence of a love affair are very common entrapments, aside from kidnapping and outright trade where the victims are sold by people they are familiar with. They are vulnerable to trafficking schemes due to poverty, gender-based discrimination on social protection, lack of information among the public about trafficking, weak enforcement of existing relevant laws and policies, and general lack of good governance, Salma Ali said. The BNWLA conducts thorough research and surveys on this inhuman act of human trade and findings show that Bangladesh is a source country for human trafficking, with thousands of women and girls being trafficked to India, Pakistan and the Middle East for sex slavery, prostitution and bonded labour. The studies conducted point out that discrimination, child marriage, dowry-related violence, illiteracy, poverty and of course overpopulation are central to the list of problems. Waterways, land routes and in many cases, air travel, are major means of trafficking individuals. Talking about her Salma Ali experiences of working in the anti-trafficking field, Salma Ali said: I have been active in this field for over 20 years now, and back then most cases were of women and children who were forced into prostitution in Pakistan and India mostly. In many cases, citizens of Myanmar were sold off as Bangladeshi and Indian and we have also repatriated many such victims. But now the volume of trafficking has increased a lot and spread all over India, from Goa to Bangalore to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, it is widespread and many are waiting to be rescued and return home. Demand is there and the supply channel is strong. You can run a 10-part series about the stories of the survivors and still there will be much left of their harrowing stories. This is an open secret, the human trade is being carried out under the presence of border guards. The law exists to curb this illegal activity, but rules are yet to be decided and implemented. A monitoring cell has been created. India and Bangladesh have jointly adopted a process for smooth repatriation and the mechanisms have been developed and signed by both nations. The fundamental rights of repatriation has been ensured as well. But some things are still required, like implementation of a comprehensive law, victim witness protection mechanisms, a neutral investigation cell to investigate the cases lodged and establishment of a separate court. The rules on how everything should be carried out has not been approved yet. Now what we do is carry out rescue missions, we lodge cases and lobby for the wellbeing of the survivors. But bringing back victims from India becomes lengthy when a case is ongoing at their end. Sometimes, it takes a year or two to bring them back. A unique case is that of Arifa, a two-year-old who was abducted by an Indian smuggler over a business dispute with her father. She was rescued and was taken to Shukarna Homes, but her return home was delayed due to cross-border procedural complicacies. When I learned about this, I rushed to Kolkata for lobbying so that she would be reunited with her family immediately. It was a puja holiday, despite all the obstacles, with help from the Bangladesh deputy high commission in Kolkata I was able to bring her back in about seven days without the process being too lengthy. Whereas in the case of Karamjit Kaur, it took me years to hand her over to her family. She was brought to Narail from Kount Tehsil Batala in Punjab by a child trafficker who tried to sell her for Tk 40,000. She was only 11-months-old at the time she was snatched from her family. She was rescued by the police soon with the help of the locals at Narail. A case was filed by us immediately against the accused under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000. Subsequently, Karamjit was handed over to us for her repatriation. But it took us over two years to locate her hometown and during that period, she stayed at the BNWLA shelter home where she was aptly taken care of. But even though we have so many success stories to share, that is not the proper solution. This is a serious concern which needs to be addressed properly in a regulated manner. In a while you will get to witness the handover of some survivors to their respective families. Many of them would refrain from lodging official complaints in fear of social stigma that would be associated with their families if word gets out. We have comprehensive packages for victim support and reintegration, but we are unable to house them for a longer period due to lack of funding. We can only do so much with the limited funding available at hand. We are running three homes with very little support, we the workers of BNWLA also contribute towards their maintenance. Sustainable reintegration is a lengthy process and we have a support network, Provati Andolon, whose members are all survivors who help others to get jobs and get settled in, Salma Ali added. Next, the Weekend got to witness the emotional reunion of some rescued children with their parents at the BNWLA office. The parents of the tiny trafficked victims signed legal documents in the presence of witnesses, and then they were free to take their children home. Missing Child Alert (MCA) aims to respond to the grave issue of child trafficking and the missing children in South Asia. The project is implemented in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. It is led by Plan International and SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children) with financial support from Post Code Loterij of the Netherlands. Dnet, a Bangladeshi social enterprise, is the regional partner of the MCA, playing the role of system integrator. MCA is a unique intervention that aims to use technology and ICT-based tools to prevent and combat trafficking as part of anti-trafficking activities that include: Protection and prevention of vulnerable communities at source and in transit Repatriation, rehabilitation and re-integration of the victims of trafficking Advocating legal and policy reform. As part of the project, Dnet has designed and developed a web-based platform to facilitate repatriation of trafficking survivors to their homes in Bangladesh or Nepal. Research shows that once a trafficking victim is rescued in India, it may take a long time, sometimes up to three years, for them to be repatriated to their home countries. There are a number of reasons responsible for this, including the fact that numerous stakeholders are involved in the process and they include state as well as non-state agencies. No mechanism existed to bring together these actors, resulting in interminable delays for rescued victims of trafficking to return home to their families. The repatriation information management system (RIMS) aims to facilitate the process of repatriation by providing features for real-time tracking of cases, thus, bringing about uniformity in the process. The system is currently being piloted with early adopters in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.