"Poor men have poorer luck, you see" - Faisal
It may surprise some that Italy has the second largest community of Bangladeshi in Europe, after the UK. According to the Italian Bureau of Statistics, in 2009, there were 11,000 Bangladeshi migrants in Italy. New estimates released since then by various independent sources suggest their number could now be as high as 70,000. As per Bangladesh's central bank, migrants have remitted nearly $1bn from Italy between 2000 and 2010.
Poverty and high unemployment have made migration an integral part of Bangladeshi society and culture, Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, senior research fellow in migration studies at National University of Singapore, explained "Male members are now invariably expected to migrate to cities or overseas to uplift the family financially."
It took Faisal 11 months and 1,600,000 Bangladeshi takas ($20,535) to reach Rome from Dubai where Faisal's visa was not renewal. He had the responsibility for providing for his elderly parents, four sisters, wife and two children. His family back home in Bangladesh made arrangements with adam byaparis - Bengali for "human merchants" - in exchange for one million takas ($12,780), raised from selling family land and loans from moneylenders.
Faisal then set off on a boat from Dubai with nearly 20 men, headed for Europe. "The overland expedition through Oman, Iran, and Turkey was fraught with risks and exacted a heavy toll on the men, both physically and mentally," he told Al Jazeera. They covered long distances in overcrowded jeeps or on foot for days, often after dark. Every few hundred kilometres, the group - which once swelled to 200 men - was handed down to local smugglers, who routinely banded them with other groups that also included girls before arranging crossings across borders. ‘[Smugglers] never stopped for anything except when hiding us in safe-houses. Two men died due to exhaustion but their bodies were abandoned by the roadside. No prayers were said for the Muslim brothers, let alone give them a decent burial” Faisal said.
After reaching Istanbul, the migrant from Noakhali district in southern Bangladesh found himself in the hands of a gang who subjected him to beatings, starvation, and blackmail for days. "This is how they would tie electric wires into knots on one end and whip us. They demanded another million [takas] for the journey forward or they would 'slash our throats and throw us in the Bosphorus." he said. After his family paid 400,000 takas ($5,180), borrowed from relatives, to local handlers, Faisal was dropped off in Greece, where he spent another seven months in hiding and waiting for his travel documents. Three failed attempts later, he eventually succeeded in boarding a flight to Rome with a fake agriculture worker visa.
"In recent years a lot of men have gone to Sicily and Venice. They are now crossing on boats from Libya," said Rafiq, who arrived in Italy in 2008 on a six-month agriculture visa. "Overland routes have become more dangerous and expensive," he adds.
Sending money home is no less than "selling blood and dignity"
“You work 16-17 hours a day, take abuse, submit to exploitation and say nothing," Rafiq said. In his first job, the 28-year-old migrant from Dhaka picked fruit on a farm for 2 euros ($2.50) an hour.
"I toiled for a local shoe manufacturer from 4am to 5pm. He paid me 23 euros [$28.77] per day," Faisal said.
They now make roughly 1600-1700 euros ($2,001-$2,126) a month, slightly more than their previous earnings. At 450 euros ($562) per person, food and rent are still their biggest expenses. The remainder is wired home.
From Al Jazeera
It may surprise some that Italy has the second largest community of Bangladeshi in Europe, after the UK. According to the Italian Bureau of Statistics, in 2009, there were 11,000 Bangladeshi migrants in Italy. New estimates released since then by various independent sources suggest their number could now be as high as 70,000. As per Bangladesh's central bank, migrants have remitted nearly $1bn from Italy between 2000 and 2010.
Poverty and high unemployment have made migration an integral part of Bangladeshi society and culture, Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, senior research fellow in migration studies at National University of Singapore, explained "Male members are now invariably expected to migrate to cities or overseas to uplift the family financially."
It took Faisal 11 months and 1,600,000 Bangladeshi takas ($20,535) to reach Rome from Dubai where Faisal's visa was not renewal. He had the responsibility for providing for his elderly parents, four sisters, wife and two children. His family back home in Bangladesh made arrangements with adam byaparis - Bengali for "human merchants" - in exchange for one million takas ($12,780), raised from selling family land and loans from moneylenders.
Faisal then set off on a boat from Dubai with nearly 20 men, headed for Europe. "The overland expedition through Oman, Iran, and Turkey was fraught with risks and exacted a heavy toll on the men, both physically and mentally," he told Al Jazeera. They covered long distances in overcrowded jeeps or on foot for days, often after dark. Every few hundred kilometres, the group - which once swelled to 200 men - was handed down to local smugglers, who routinely banded them with other groups that also included girls before arranging crossings across borders. ‘[Smugglers] never stopped for anything except when hiding us in safe-houses. Two men died due to exhaustion but their bodies were abandoned by the roadside. No prayers were said for the Muslim brothers, let alone give them a decent burial” Faisal said.
After reaching Istanbul, the migrant from Noakhali district in southern Bangladesh found himself in the hands of a gang who subjected him to beatings, starvation, and blackmail for days. "This is how they would tie electric wires into knots on one end and whip us. They demanded another million [takas] for the journey forward or they would 'slash our throats and throw us in the Bosphorus." he said. After his family paid 400,000 takas ($5,180), borrowed from relatives, to local handlers, Faisal was dropped off in Greece, where he spent another seven months in hiding and waiting for his travel documents. Three failed attempts later, he eventually succeeded in boarding a flight to Rome with a fake agriculture worker visa.
"In recent years a lot of men have gone to Sicily and Venice. They are now crossing on boats from Libya," said Rafiq, who arrived in Italy in 2008 on a six-month agriculture visa. "Overland routes have become more dangerous and expensive," he adds.
Sending money home is no less than "selling blood and dignity"
“You work 16-17 hours a day, take abuse, submit to exploitation and say nothing," Rafiq said. In his first job, the 28-year-old migrant from Dhaka picked fruit on a farm for 2 euros ($2.50) an hour.
"I toiled for a local shoe manufacturer from 4am to 5pm. He paid me 23 euros [$28.77] per day," Faisal said.
They now make roughly 1600-1700 euros ($2,001-$2,126) a month, slightly more than their previous earnings. At 450 euros ($562) per person, food and rent are still their biggest expenses. The remainder is wired home.
From Al Jazeera
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