Human trafficking on rise as the unemployment bites
Network of smugglers in Punjab, Turkey and Iran exploiting growing unemployment
Any nation can experience human trafficking, and almost anyone can become a victim, according to experts.
Many Pakistanis are crossing borders illegally as a result of the twin crises of rising inflation and unemployment, frequently becoming victims of a thriving network of smugglers who take advantage of their poor.
Many people fleeing poverty must pay large sums of money or even risk their lives to cross borders, and international smugglers often demand payments of more than Rs500,000.
Most of these young men suffer a gruelling voyage to the “promised land” of Europe, stumbling across rugged terrains and no-lands man’s to avoid being apprehended while clutching for a financial lifeline as jobs dry up in their homeland. However, their trip has failed, frequently leading to additional agony as gangs prowl the night for unsuspecting prey.
Others walk into death after officials in Greece use excessive force to push them back toward Turkey, while many are apprehended at the borders of Iran and Turkey, which have become transit countries for unauthorised immigrants.
Dangerous green lasers are another tool used by Greek security officers on the Turkish border to stop refugees and migrants from entering. Many refugees are panicked once they are picked up by radars and risk their lives trying to flee.
Poverty fuels rapacious smugglers
When individuals cannot access legitimate avenues of migration, smugglers take advantage of them as they are eager to incur risks in search of a better life. Many families are on the verge of starvation, and greedy smugglers are salivating over the misery to fuel their illegal trade.
According to sources with knowledge of the nefarious human trafficking industry, which is expanding rapidly, districts in Punjab like Wazirabad, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Lala Musa, and Jhelum are being used to transport many innocent people to Europe via Iran and Turkey who are unaware of the risks involved.
Many of these smugglers collaborate with Turkish and Iranian network organisations. As if this weren’t bad enough, gangs in Istanbul kidnap many of these young guys for ransom because they are poor and desperate, taking advantage of their undocumented status.
Many of these disintegrated families are forced to pay a significant price to send their sons abroad through these illicit methods in order to escape the tangle of poverty because they are already penniless.
For those who are apprehended at the Turkish border and sent home, the Federal Investigation Agency will bring punishment upon them (FIA).
The FIA officials stated that people who send them to foreign nations unlawfully are subject to sanctions and punishment in this regard. by the courts.
“People have lost their family’s savings by naively falling for the dreams sold by agents,” an FIA official lamented, adding that instead of going to foreign countries via illegal means, people should learn skills for a better and bright future.
Assessing the real size of this crime is a complex matter, owing to its underground nature and the difficulty of identifying when irregular migration is being facilitated by smugglers. But sources said that the trend has been surging of late as unemployment and poverty triggered by worsening economic woes take toll on many households.
