| 1.
Trafficking of women and children from Bangladesh
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| 2.
Trafficking in Persons Report' 2001 |
| 3.
Trafficking in Persons Report' 2002 |
| 4.
BBC Online News Report:: Asia's sex trade is
'slavery' |
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| 0000 |
Trafficking
of women and children from Bangladesh
by Nyma Nargis |
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Poverty
happens to be the prime factor behind woman
and child trafficking from villages of the
country's frontier areas, according to a recent
study by Bangladesh National Women Lawyers'
Association (BNWLA).
Other
major factors behind the trafficking have
been identified as illiteracy, landlessness,
over-population and low levels of income.
The
study shows that the organised gangs of traffickers
take advantage of the crushing poverty of
their victims and lure them away with prospects
of job opportunities.
The
UNICEF-aided study was conducted by BNWLA
between October 1998 and May 1999 in 10 villages
of three bordering thanas of three districts
of Bangladesh. The three thanas are Teknaf
of Cox's Bazar, Sharsha of Jessore and Patgram
of Lalmonirhat district. The BNWLA study also
identified four main routes used by the traffickers.
A
total of 51 people - 31 children and 20 women
- were trafficked from the 10 villages during
the given period. The percentage of male children
was about 29 per cent, while girls comprised
about 70 per cent of the victims.
The
study revealed that about 22 per cent of the
female children belonged to 13-16 years' age,
a reality that indicates higher 'demand for
adolescent girls'.
About
42 per cent of female victims (aged between
11 and 16) were recruited through 'offers
of marriage' while 28 per cent were recruited
through job offers, it said.
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Only
5 per cent of the women have primary education
while the remaining 95 per cent are illiterate.
About 52 per cent of the women victims have
been divorced, separated or widowed, according
to the study. Divorcees, estranged wives or
widows are more frequently trafficked than
married women.
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The
study said that about 90 per cent of the women
were household workers or unemployed. Most
of these victims were wed-locked with men
who had very low incomes. Families of 61 per
cent of the victims were 'landless'.
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| Overpopulation
was one more important reason behind women and
children trafficking in Bangladesh. According
to the study, about 59 per cent of the victims
came from big families, 25 per cent from medium
sized families and only six per cent from small
families. |
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| The
study identified four main routes through which
the victims from the villages of the mentioned
three thanas are being trafficked. |
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| Traffickers
have been using the following routes to traffic
the victims from Teknaf: |
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From
Cox's Bazar the victims are brought to
Gabtali bus terminal in Dhaka by road
and from Dhaka they are taken to Sathkhira
and Jessore by bus. |
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000000 000000 |
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From
Cox's Bazar the victims are brought to
Gabtali bus terminal in Dhaka by road
and from Dhaka they are taken to Hilli
border of Dinajpur by bus. |
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| 000000 000000 |
| The
traffickers of Jessore have been using the border
of Sharsha for trafficking. The names of border
'exit zone' in Sharsha are Benapole, Sadipur,
Gatipara, Rudropur, Putkhali, Salbahan and Sikarpur.
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| 000000 000000 |
| The
traffickers are using the border of Burimari
for trafficking from Patgram. The border exit
zone of Patgram is Upharmara, Padhanath, Azizpur,
Bamandal, Islampur and Khengti. |
| 000000 000000 |
