Distorted Humanity, Distorted Civilisation

Mukta was deported home from a middle eastern country pregnant. She prayed for death while flying back as the society was there with rude questions for the baby she was carrying! Trapped by a local dalal (broker), Mukta went abroad with a hope of decent job but landed in a cage as a migrant domestic worker. She endured sexual exploitation regularly and eventually forced to go back home as she became pregnant! Mukta survived! -Photo: Soumin Shahrid

‘LISTEN’ Unveils the Horror of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is more than a criminal issue; it is a profound assault on human dignity. It strips people of their freedom, identity, and hope.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has published a photobook titled 'LISTEN' under a project supported by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in the observance of World Day Against Human Trafficking-2026.

First in Bangladesh, 'LISTEN' is a visual storytelling photobook that brings readers face-to-face with the untold stories of survivors of human trafficking in the country. The stories are not presented to shock, but to bear witness to the resilience of survivors.

Soumin Shahrid Javin, a Bangladeshi photographer, affiliated with the IOM captured the photographs of the survivors while IOM Bangladesh's staff wrote the real-life stories.

Survivors carry not only visible injuries but also deep emotional wounds that often remain unseen. Many were deceived with promises of decent jobs, education, or marriage, only to find themselves trapped in exploitation, violence, and fear.

In the visual storybook, a total of 22 stories (17 of female and 5 of male survivors) bring the poverty, deception, scam, captivity, agony and endless torture they endured all the way after being trafficked abroad!

Survivors' dreams of solvent life with handsome income were doomed in the jungle, dark room, or in a house of landlord abroad. However, the journey through unspeakable misery couldn't stop them hoping for survival, their comeback from the den of darkness still luminates society and depicts meaningful interventions by the IOM.

The visual storybook documents practical experiences of survivors of human trafficking in Bangladesh through photography. Through evocative photographs and deeply personal testimonies, the book moves beyond statistics to reveal the human cost of trafficking.

Rather than focusing solely on the crime of trafficking, the book emphasises survivors' resilience, recovery, and their journey toward rebuilding their lives with dignity. Survivor's story reflects not only exploitation and trauma but also extraordinary courage and the importance of survivor-centred interventions that enable long-term healing and hope.

Roton Malo, Works at an international development organisation and is a freelance journalist.