Recruitment agents who work for human trafficking groups in Northern Bangladesh earn various fees for finding girls.
If an agent finds a girl who is “certified as ‘fit’” and is determined to be good-looking enough to work as a prostitute in India, then the agent receives a payment of $1,456 to $1,821 (80,000 to 100,000 Indian Rupees).
If a trafficking agent finds someone to work as a domestic help or as a laborer, then the agent receives a payment of $273.
(More traffickers prices here.)
Source: Sumati Yengkhom, “Trafficking of tribal girls: ‘Agents’ make big bucks, thrive on easy prey,” Times of India, March 4, 2013.
The cost to buy a Nepali passport on the black market is reported to be $1,740 (150,000 Nepali Rupee). If a legitimate visa is included with the fake passport, then the price rises to $6,961 (600,000 Rupees).
The passports are reportedly bought by Bangladeshi nationals who use it to increase their chances of obtain employment. In addition, drug traffickers and wildlife traffickers occasionally buy Nepali passports to hide their identity.
Source: “Nepal emerging as ‘regional hub for human trafficking’,” eKantipur.com, February 24, 2013.
90 percent of the population of Bangladesh are Muslims, and up to 3 million cows are needed to meet the consumption levels of the country. In order to meet the demand, Bangladeshi slaughterhouses need to import cows from other sources.
However, in neighboring India, cows are considered sacred in their Hindu practices. Many Indian states ban the slaughter of cows.
Thus, an illegal black market has emerged where over 2 million cows are smuggled from India into Bangladesh The value of the smuggled cows are worth $920 Million (50 Billion Rupees).
Source: Shaikh Azizur Rahman, “Cow smuggling … it’s how Bangladesh gets its beef,” Christian Science Monitor, January 26, 2013.
A report released by Transparency International stated that $2.7 Billion (€2.1 Billion) was paid out in bribes in Bangladesh between April 2011 to April 2012. The amount of bribes paid out is equal to 13.6 percent of Bangladesh’s national budget.
According to their survey of 7,906 households, 63.7 percent of respondents reported having to pay a bribe in order to receive government services.
The average household paid $86 (€66) in bribes throughout the year, or a tenth of the average yearly salary in the country.
The highest rate of corruption was in the labor migration sector, with 77 percent of people seeking services was forced to pay a bribe. Law enforcement agencies had the next highest rate with 75.8 percent of people forced to pay bribes, followed by land administration with 59 percent, and judicial services with 57 percent.
Source: Shaikh Azizur Rahman, “Bribery becomes a pricey commodity in Bangladesh,” Deutsche Welle, January 8, 2013.
Police in Dubai reported that it investigated 24 cases of human trafficking within the emirate in 2012. In 2011, police also investigated 24 cases, and in 2010 investigated 35 cases.
58 percent of the victims in 2012 were trafficked to Dubai from developing countries, according to police.
Between 2008 to 2012, women from Bangladesh who were forced to work as housemaids were the most identified victims of human trafficking in Dubai.
Source: Bassma Al Jandaly, “Police log 24 human trafficking cases in 2012,” gulfnews, December 30, 2012.
Law enforcement agencies in India seized 85,409 ampules of synthetic drugs in 2012 on the border between India and Bangladesh. In 2011, police seized 75.857 ampules from drug traffickers.
The synthetic drugs, or Amphetamine Type Stimulants, are considered to be “party” drugs such as ecstasy and speed and mainly used by younger adults.
Source: “Smuggling of synthetic and ‘party’ drugs pose new challenge for India and Bangladesh,” Economic Times, October 4, 2012.
Human traffickers purchase young girls for $250 from their families and force them to work in the prostitution trade. Up to 90 percent of the prostitutes in Bangladesh take a steroid in order to appear older and be able to service more clients in a day, with most averaging around 15 clients a day.
The sex customers in Bangladesh pay $0.60 cents for each visit.
The girls pay $0.18 cents for their steroids.
Source: Andrew Biraj, “Bangladesh’s “teenage” brothels hold dark steroid secret,” Reuters, March 19, 2012.
One third of respondents to a survey in South Asia reported paying a bribe to officials in 2011 for legally entitled services.
40 percent of citizens in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives reported that they paid a briber to a government worker. The police were the largest recipients of the bribes.
Up to two-thirds of people in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who had contact with the police paid a bribe during the year.
Source: AFP, “A third of south Asians made to pay bribes: survey,” Google News, December 22, 2011.
An estimated 250 to 300 people in Bangladesh sell their organs for money in the country each year.
Source: Sebastian Stranglo, “Inside Bangladesh’s organ bazaar,” Global Post, October 27, 2011.
Police in Bangladesh arrested two organ traffickers after they reportedly purchased kidneys from poor villagers at prices between $2,000 to $3,000 (150,000 to 200,000 Bangladesh Takas).
Police believe that up to 200 people may have sold their organs to the pair of traffickers.
Source: AFP, “Bangladesh busts kidney trafficking gang,” Google News, August 30, 2011.
