5 Bangladeshi Trafficking Victims Return Home from Algeria

Five Bangladeshi nationals who fell victim to human trafficking and endured horrific abuse have returned to Bangladesh from Algeria. The returnees — Mostakim Sarkar from Dhaka, Mozammel Haque from Sherpur, Jihad Fakir, Roman Hawlader, and Yasin Hawlader from Madaripur — landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:30 a.m. on February 21, 2025, on a Turkish Airlines flight from Algeria, according to a press release.

The victims shared their harrowing experiences, explaining that they were lured by traffickers promising better opportunities in Europe but were instead trapped in Libya. There, they were held captive by a mafia-run trafficking ring, tortured, and forced to call their families for ransom. After their families raised the money, they were placed on a boat to Italy, but the vessel broke down at sea. They were eventually rescued by the Tunisian Coast Guard but later imprisoned in Algeria for illegal entry.

Their return was made possible through the collaboration of the Wage Earners' Welfare Board, the Bangladesh Embassy in Algeria, and Brac.

One of the returnees, Yasin Hawlader from Madaripur, shared his trauma: “I was held captive by the Libyan mafia. My family borrowed money, mortgaged land, and took loans to pay my ransom, totaling Tk25.8 lakh. Now we have nothing left.”

Inspector Shah Alam Mridha of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) at the airport commented, “These individuals suffered extreme abuse in their attempt to reach Europe. We fully support Brac’s efforts to bring trafficking victims back home.”

Aziz Ahmed, senior manager of Brac’s Migration Programme, added, “We worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wage Earners' Welfare Board, and the US-based Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Hero Network for this repatriation. Last October, we successfully brought eight more trafficking victims back home with TIP’s support.”

Brac’s Migration Welfare Centre has been aiding returning migrants for eight years, providing emergency support to over 35,000 individuals. In 2024 alone, 40 migrants were rescued from various countries.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of Brac's Migration Programme, stressed the rising crisis of human trafficking, saying, “Traffickers deceive victims with false job promises in Libya, only to detain and torture them for ransom. Despite repeated tragedies, the desire to cross the Mediterranean to Europe persists. We must raise awareness, track trafficker finances, and take stronger actions to combat this growing threat."