Shazia Ramzan
Human trafficking, often referred to as modern bondage, is one of the gravest human rights violations in the world today. In countries like Pakistan, where economic distress and weak governance prevail, this crisis has grown more severe and complex. On this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a UNHCR report, Refugees and Migrants from South-West Asia to Europe, highlighted an alarming surge in irregular migration from the region to Europe.
In the last five years, 145,600 South-West Asian migrants reached Europe by land and sea, accounting for 17% of all irregular arrivals via the Mediterranean and Atlantic. Even more alarming is the threefold increase in migration numbers, rising from 13,000 in 2020 to 39,000 in 2024. This shows that systemic problems—poverty, conflict, and lack of opportunity—are pushing citizens toward risky migration, feeding trafficking networks.
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Between 2020 and 2023, Afghans formed 33% of irregular migrants to Europe, second only to Bangladeshis at 41%. By 2024, Afghan migration rose to 42%, reflecting the impact of the Taliban’s return to power. Pakistani migrants remain a significant portion of the flow, with 70% entering the EU via Italy, often through human smuggling and trafficking routes.
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The UNHCR report highlights that 94% of Bangladeshi and 70% of Pakistani migrants reached Europe via dangerous sea journeys, facing exploitation, violence, and death. For Pakistanis, 68% cited joblessness and lack of basic services as the main reasons for leaving home. This reflects state governance failures and a growing disconnect between citizens and the state.
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The 2024 UN theme, Human Trafficking is Organised Crime — End the Exploitation, identifies trafficking as a global criminal enterprise. It is systematically organized, thriving on local collusion and transnational networks. Traffickers exploit legal gaps, porous borders, and weak enforcement, turning human desperation into profit.
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Pakistan’s culture of impunity magnifies the crisis. The 2024 US State Department Trafficking Report revealed that Pakistan failed to act against complicit officials for the fifth consecutive year. When enforcement agencies are inactive or involved, trafficking cartels grow stronger, and victims remain trapped.
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Pakistan has laws, but enforcement is weak. The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018 allows fines instead of mandatory prison terms, weakening deterrence. The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act, 2018 is rarely implemented, leaving traffickers unpunished. These legal gaps provide space for trafficking networks to flourish.
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The socioeconomic roots of trafficking cannot be ignored. Pakistan’s youth bulge, combined with unemployment, poverty, and lack of education, makes communities vulnerable to smugglers. In regions like southern Punjab, interior Sindh, and Balochistan, migration is seen as the only escape, leading to debt bondage, exploitation, and death for many.
To address this, Pakistan must adopt a multi-pronged, victim-centered strategy. This means strengthening laws, punishing traffickers and complicit officials, rehabilitating victims, and enhancing international cooperation to break trafficking networks. Equally, job creation, poverty reduction, and service delivery are essential to remove the socio-economic push factors.
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Modern human trafficking is not only a law-and-order issue—it is a human rights and governance crisis. Pakistan’s inaction risks the lives of its citizens and damages its global reputation. Only a victim-focused, accountable, and comprehensive strategy can end modern slavery and protect the dignity of vulnerable people.
