At least 17 Bangladeshi migrants have died in a Mediterranean shipwreck on their way to Italy from Libya. Tunisia’s Red Crescent quoted Reuters as saying on Wednesday (July 21). The agency said the country’s coastguard members rescued more than 380 people from the sea.
The ship sailed from Juara on Libya’s northwest coast with migrants from Syria, Egypt, Sudan, Mali, and Bangladesh. According to the Red Crescent, 17 Bangladeshis have died. More than 380 migrants have been rescued. They sailed from Libya to Europe. However, the agency did not name the dead and rescued.
There have been many recent shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia. Many have died. Even then, the attempt to go to Europe did not stop. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), between 2014 and October 2020, about 2.1 million people crossed the Mediterranean to Europe. About 20,000 people lost their lives while crossing the sea in this way, many of them here are BangladeshisAccording to the agency, Bangladeshis topped the list of people who tried to cross the Mediterranean illegally into Europe from January to June this year. Tunisians are in second place.
According to the agency, not only by sea but also by crossing inaccessible deserts and forests to Europe, many people were captured and lost their lives. According to Eurostat, the European Commission’s statistics office, more than 100,000 people entered Europe illegally between 2008 and 2017.
Meanwhile, Europe also threatened to block visas if Bangladeshis who entered illegally were not deported Later in September 2017, the then Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali and the EU Minister for Immigration visited New York to bring back irregular Bangladeshis from Europe7 signed the agreement The European Union has also taken steps to reintegrate returnees so that their lives do not come to a standstill. BRAC 7 is now doing that work in Bangladesh with IOM
Asked about this, Shariful Hasan, head of BRAC’s immigration department, told Dhaka Post that Bangladeshis are at the top of the list of people who tried to cross the Mediterranean illegally into Europe from January to June this year. Their number is three thousand 332 people. Then there are the Tunisians. Their number is two thousand 972 people.
He said that in 2014, two lakh 25 thousand 455 people went to different countries including Europe by crossing the sea illegally. Three thousand 538 of them died. In 2015, the highest number of migrants was 10 lakh, 32 thousand 408 people, 3,771 people died. In 2016, three lakh 73 thousand 652 people died and five thousand 96 people died. In 2017, one lakh 85 thousand 139 people migrated and three thousand 139 people died on the way. One lakh 41 thousand 472 people migrated in 2018, two thousand 260 people died. In 2019, one lakh 23 thousand 663 people migrated and one thousand 335 people died. In 2020, 96,031 people were able to reach Europe by sea illegally, but 1,401 people died on the way.
In the last decade, 55,000 Bangladeshis have been detained while crossing the Mediterranean in this way. This is the most popular route of human trafficking. You have to enter Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. In the last seven years, 2.2 million people have tried to enter Europe illegally. Bangladesh is at the top.
He added that many have sought asylum again. This number is not very low. One and a half to two lakh. Most of those who cross into Europe illegally are between the ages of 31 and 35. Their number is about 30 percent Then there are 36 to 40-year-olds Their number is 21 percent.
We are recommending two types to prevent such human trafficking. First of all, not everyone is going abroad. People from Faridpur, Sylhet, and Comilla are going more. Many people are knowingly spending five to 10 lakh rupees. In this case, it will not be possible to stop human trafficking until those who are leaving or their families are responsible and aware. It is not enough to conduct one or two operations after an accident. The law enforcement agencies have to conduct the operations in a coordinated manner throughout the year. Legal action must be taken against those involved. Second, strict and urgent action must be taken internationally to take legal action against the international trafficking ring involved in human trafficking with the domestic ring.
