4,510 irregular Bangladeshi migrants arrived Europe last year: Report
The highest share of Bangladeshi nationals was registered in Italy – 4,141 (around 92% of the total arrivals by land and by sea)
Around 4,510 irregular Bangladeshi nationals arrived by sea and by land in Europe by entering Italy, Malta, Spain or Greece in 2020, according to available data from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Europe.
The highest share of Bangladeshi nationals was registered in Italy – 4,141 (around 92% of the total arrivals by land and by sea), said a report titled "Bangladeshi Migrants in Europe 2020 – A Multiple Source Snapshot" published on Tuesday.
Besides, 280 Bangladeshi nationals were registered in Malta, 81 in Spain and 8 in Greece.
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Additionally, 8,844 Bangladeshi nationals were tracked while transiting through the Western Balkan countries during the same year.
However, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), only 21 registered migrant Bangladeshis migrated to the United Kingdom in 2020, says the report.
A total of 456,516 Bangladeshi nationals resided in Europe in 2020, according to the International Migrant Stock 2020 of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
Among these Bangladeshis, 60% were male and 40% were female. The highest number of Bangladeshi migrants lived in UK and Italy.
Libya is an important way-station for people attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, around 20.5 lakh people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea from 2014 to April 2020.
More than 19,000 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean during that period. There were a significant number of Bangladeshis among them as Bangladesh is one of the top ten countries from where people try to go to Europe using the Mediterranean Sea.
The dream of reaching Europe through Libya has caused deaths of many Bangladeshis in the last few years.
At least 26 Bangladeshi migrants in captivity were shot dead and 11 other were wounded overnight in what appeared to be an attack by hostage-takers at a Libyan town in last year.
In May 2019, 39 Bangladeshi died in the Mediterranean Sea when they tried to go to Europe.
According to the Brac Migration Programme, around 693 Bangladeshis were detained from January to April 2020 when they were trying to reach Europe through the Mediterranean Sea.
Mainly the people of some particular districts including Sylhet, Sunamganj, Noakhali, Madaripur, Shariatpur go to Europe in such way, Brac found.
