International Christian Concern 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, #941 Washington, DC 20006 301-585-5915 ♦ icc@persecution.org
PETITION CALLING FOR THE INCREASED PROTECTION OF CHRISTIAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS IN BANGLADESH Ambassador Akramul Qader Embassy of Bangladesh 3510 International Drive NW Washington, D.C. 20008 March 4, 2014 Dear Ambassador Qader, It is with great concern that we petition your government to immediately step up efforts to assist and protect religious minorities who are victims of forced human trafficking. Since July of 2012, International Christian Concern (ICC) has discovered more than 200 cases in which Christian children in Bangladesh were sold to and forcibly enrolled in Islamic training centers, or madrassas, after being taken from their families under false pretenses. While ICC has managed to identify and assist in the rescue of more than 120 of these victims, more than 300 children have been reported missing to ICC and are suspected of having been trafficked to madrassas throughout the country. Nearly all of these victims, ranging in age from three to 16, are members of the Tripura ethnic group from families originating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Southeastern Bangladesh. As Christians, these families are an exceptionally small minority, even within their own community. We believe they have been targeted by Islamic trafficking rings specifically because of their Christian faith. In addition, the majority of these families are highly impoverished and lack access to basic educational resources, leaving them extremely vulnerable to predatory traffickers. In most cases, the families report being approached by individuals posing as representatives of non-profit or humanitarian organizations. These representatives promise to take the families’ children to Dhaka to receive an inexpensive, Christian-based education, asking only for a small sum to cover basic expenses. The children are then taken by the traffickers and sold to madrassas in various locations. In interviews with children rescued from these madrassa’s, ICC discovered that many had been forcibly converted to Islam, re-named, and suffered extremely harsh treatment at the hands of instructors. Several victims reported having been beaten with live wires, locked in rooms, and having food withheld for refusing to learn Arabic or read the Quran. The Christian faith was also commonly mocked by madrassa instructors, who told the trafficking victims,“The Bible is all lies, Christianity is all lies, Christians are bad and will not go to heaven.” In addition several of the young male victims reported being used for forced labor in the homes of Muslim families, while several female victims reported being forced into prostitution, especially at local hotels. Sadly, children who are rescued and returned to their families are highly likely to be trafficked again. Several Christian families reported that after authorities returned their children, the traffickers also returned, threatening violence if the families refused to again hand over their children. With little to no available protection against attack by radical Islamic groups, Christian families are left with few options when facing this very real threat. Mr. Ambassador, the signers of this petition urge you in the strongest possible terms to immediately contact the appropriate members of your government and convey the utmost urgency in addressing this issue. ICC sources report that authorities have done nothing to arrest or prosecute leaders of these trafficking operations, some of whom are publicly known. No child should ever be taken from their family, tortured, and forcibly converted to another religion. It is, however, all the more egregious when they are targeted for this type of treatment on the basis of their faith. We eagerly anticipate your speedy response. Sincerely, International Christian Concern (and attached)
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