The number of Bangladeshi human trafficking victims who attempt to enter Europe from Libya by crossing the Mediterranean Sea are increasing alarmingly.
A recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals this.
The report was prepared with the data from the number of detained Bangladeshis by the Libyan Coast Guards from January to May this year.
Libyan authority detained them while they were trying to cross Mediterranean from Libya to enter Europe.
There were a significant number of Bangladeshis among the illegal immigrants seeking shelter in Europe in the previous years too. But the number has been increasing day by day, the report said.
According to the sources, almost all of them who try to cross the deadly sea illegally from Libya to enter European countries are from Africa and Bangladesh from Asia region.
In the first week of June, a report by UNHCR said that 345 Bangladeshis were among the few foreigners who were intercepted or rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard in the country’s waters in the last five months from January to May this year. This is the second top in terms of number. Sudan tops the list.
Those countries in Africa have various problems including war, conflict and instability. But Bangladesh has a big difference with them. There is no specific information on how many Bangladeshis have died in the Mediterranean while crossing the sea illegally. In many cases, the information about the sinking in the sea was not known.
It was learned that there is no chance of thinking that one can stay in Europe for a long time by crossing the Mediterranean. Those who cannot provide valid reasons to stay in Europe, must return.
It is known that the rate of rejection of the application of Bangladeshi asylum seekers in Europe is higher than many other countries because they could not meet the conditions for asylum in Europe. European countries are putting pressure on Bangladesh to bring them back. On the other hand, Bangladesh is also in favour of bringing back those who are staying irregularly or illegally.
In 2019, for the first time in the European countries of Cyprus, Slovakia, France and Slovenia, Bangladesh was in the list of top five countries as a source of applicants for refugee status. Apart from this, there are a significant number of Bangladeshi applicants in other countries as well. Most of them are thought to have entered Europe by sea via Libya.
About the report, no officials agreed to comment saying that the foreign ministry deals the issue.
