Fooled by a gang, a widow in Chuadanga got her daughter married to a Chinese national named Cui Po Wei on July 1 last year, hoping that she would rise out of poverty.

“We are in danger. Please save us!”

Many Bangladeshi sex workers, once victims themselves, now serve as brothel managers, perpetuating the vicious cycle. They employ fellow countrywomen, who later become traffickers responsible for bringing new girls from Bangladesh into the clutches of these brothels.

Two hours away from Jhenaidah’s Indo-Bangla border, the district of Narail has gained a notoriety for being one of the biggest sources of girls headed for Mumbai.

Adjacent to the border in Narail district’s Maheshpur upazila, a hidden racket facilitating the illegal crossing of people thrives, operated by individuals known locally as “Dhurs” or carriers.

Every year, many girls are trafficked out of Bangladesh with the promise of a better life abroad, only to end up in the underbelly of Indian cities. The Daily Star takes a look into this dark world

Starved, tortured, and forced to scam, these people are living in inhumane conditions

Why are so few trafficking cases reaching a conviction?

Legal steps will be taken over the allegation of human trafficking against Laxmipur lawmaker Quazi Shaheed Islam, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader says.

Two alleged human traffickers including a Rohingya youth are killed in a reported gunfight with police in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

The CID on Sunday arrested the alleged godfather of a human trafficking ring that ran boats to carry people from Bangladesh to Malaysia.

When Neha Maldar testifies against the traffickers who enslaved her as a sex worker in India, she spoke about the safety of her own country, Bangladesh, via video conferencing, a technology that could revolutionise the pursuit of justice in such cases.

In the last five years, as many as 2,733 people have been rescued from the clutches of human traffickers in Cox's Bazar. And 242 cases were filed against some 1,355 people over the incidents. However, not a single one has been disposed of.