World News | HRCP urges Pakistan to address human rights violations suffered by youth who travel abroad illegally

Lahore (Pakistan) September 2 (ANI): The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has drawn urgent attention to the human rights violations faced by people who attempt to reach foreign countries through illegal routes. The commission added that most victims often face torture, extortion, ill-treatment, blackmail, imprisonment and even death.

The report attempts to conceptualise human trafficking as a serious violation of human rights, rather than as a crime linked to transnational crime.

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Currently, Pakistan is facing a severe economic crisis, forcing many people, especially the youth, to seek work abroad through illegal routes known as “dunki”.

The term comes from Punjabi and means ‘to go somewhere by jumping over it like a donkey’, an illegal method.

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According to the report, around 100,000 Pakistanis attempt to leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities abroad, with Quetta a popular option for migrants seeking the Dunki route.

Given the variables and complexity, it is difficult to provide exact figures. However, it is likely that approximately 80,000 to 100,000 illegal migrants leave Pakistan each year.

The report also points out that irregular migrants attempting this extremely dangerous journey from Punjab to Turkey – overland via Balochistan and Iran – are plagued by unemployment, lack of opportunity, poverty, insecurity and conflict. People smugglers in Pakistan are also overly capable of exploiting the vulnerabilities of individuals and persuading them to undertake dangerous journeys.

The report noted that human trafficking networks in Pakistan operate in a highly organised and structured manner, similar to criminal enterprises. Many such networks are self-sustaining; as most former migrants become human traffickers themselves.

The HRCP has called for Pakistan to sign and ratify the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. Secondly, destination countries must uphold the rights of irregular migrants.

The Prevention of Migrant Smuggling Act, 2018, needs to be revised and amended so that such abuses, which occur both pre- and post-travel, can be tackled more effectively through a more human rights-based approach. (ANI)

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