Menace of Human Trafficking In Pakistan Its Causes and Preventive Measures

MENACE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN PAKISTAN MENACE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN PAKISTAN ITS CAUSES AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES By Abid Hussain Qureshi, District and Sessions Judge, Vehari During my posting as Special Judge (Central), Lahore for about 2-1/2 Years, a number of cases under the Immigration Ordinance, 1979 were dealt with by me. Each case had its own peculiar facts, some time pathetic and some time sensational and thrilling. This article is an attempt to cover the causes and implications of menace of human trafficking in Pakistan as well as the proposed remedies and measures may be taken at different forums to eliminate or minimize this menace. Human trafficking is an intricate and complicated issue. It is not confined to a particular country or region but has spread its tentacle more menacingly in the third world countries especially in the sub continent. There are countless reasons for human trafficking all over the world and the dominant reason is the economic deprivation and inequality prevalent in the society. There is acute paucity of jobs especially for young educated persons. A job if fetched carries such a meager remuneration that it is difficult to make both ends meet. There is an unhealthy competition in our society to become rich overnight which compels our youth to indulge into adventurism. When unemployment, poverty, social injustice and inequality is prevailing in a society there are always two options for the young generation either to sustain constant agony of poverty, despondency and destitute or to break the law and explore some better avenues to lead some prosperous life. In this background majority of the young generation obviously look for foreign shores. They are also enamoured from the ostentation and opulence demonstrated by expatriates while living in their vicinity which is in fact sham, unreal and farcical as well as momentary and leave the despondent youth in glum and gloom. It is a matter of common experience that such like people easily fall prey to the travelling agents mafia. The economic compulsions both on the part of the travelling agents and the intending emigrants make them low on morals and requirements of law. Such agents are well connected, deep-rooted and have a wide net all over the world and they take the benefit of any laxity if extended to them at the borders or at the airports. The travelling agent mafia has variety of devices and tricks to avoid the vigilant eyes of the Agencies at such places and take the emigrants out of any country through illegal means. It is yet another tragedy that when such people land in the foreign shores then very hard, miserable and agonizing realities stare in their faces. At times their travelling documents are found deficient and defective. The jobs they were expecting to get are nowhere in sight. The dreams to become rich overnight are smashed which are converted into a nightmare. It is really deplorable that some of them either die on the hilly tracks while crossing Pak-Iran border or in the containers at Turkish Greece border. Even if they succeed to enter into any European country they have to lead a very miserable life and sometimes they do the job and labour which they never imagined in their own country. Normally they cannot escape themselves from the watchful eyes of foreign agencies and thus they are deported with a stigma which also carries criminal liability. It may be said with impunity that human trafficking is a net in which our youth easily trappes irrespective of the fact that they are educated or illiterate. It involves passions, urge to be opulent overnight, broken promises, false expectations and deviations from law. At this stage I would be lacking in my duty if not appreciate the efforts being made by the FIA to eliminate and effectively control the menace of human trafficking in Pakistan. A lot of measures have already been adopted by the FIA which are visible in day-to-day proceedings in the Courts but still a lot is to be done in this regard. Keeping in view my experience during my posting for about 2 1/2 Years as Special Judge (Central), Lahore while dealing with the cases under the Emigration Ordinance and the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance I have noticed that some more effective measures and some holistic approach is required to curb the problem of human trafficking. The authorities have to nab the people who are belonging to the notorious gangs of human traffickers instead of putting hands on the innocent people. The process of investigation should be more effective, speedy and transparent. There should be some education on mass media for the public at large and special focus should be made to highlight the miseries and hardships which Such emigrants face in the foreign shores to discourage such people to indulge in such like adventurism. In this regard even the United Nations and other allied institutions and especially United States and European countries should provide immigration through legal means to the Pakistani youth which is otherwise very talented and skillful to eliminate the chances of illegal human trafficking. These countries should come forward to help Pakistan as well as other countries in which human trafficking is at the rise and to initiate development projects in these countries so that unemployed youth should work in their own country instead of opting to go abroad. It is high time for our government as well as all other governments where the problem of human trafficking is at the rise to make strenuous efforts to ameliorate the plight of the deprived segment of the society. Unfortunately in the recent years severe energy crises in Pakistan has adversely affected not only our economy but also our industrial and commercial sectors, resultantly thousands of people including some very skilled and experienced young people have become jobless. In this background such skilled people have the compulsion to avail any opportunity of immigration from the country for their better future to sustain a respectable life. Since in the wake of 9/11 a number of countries have made tough immigration rules making the lawful immigration from Pakistan practically impossible. Therefore, our jobless youth tries to adopt illegal means to enter into any other country especially in Europe or USA to earn livelihood. The European Union and USA should make these immigration rules more flexible, reasonable and accommodating, so that jobless skilled youth from the third world may get the legal opportunity to enter into any such country for job or business. As far as Pakistan is concerned, serious efforts are required to create more jobs and enforcement of social justice and equality in the society to minimize the chances of human trafficking, which is earning a had name for the country in the comity of nations.