Deaths in the Mediterranean: Bangladesh's aspirations and Europe’s contradictions
On April 17, 2025, two stories unfolded in Europe, each a mirror to the other. In Amsterdam, the "Best of Bangladesh in Europe 2025" event began with fanfare, celebrating the nation's economic dynamism, its booming ready-made garment sector, and its aspirations to become a $1 trillion economy by 2040. Meanwhile, in Italy, the United Nations revealed that 2,589 Bangladeshis had arrived by sea in the first two months of 2025, a 115 percent increase from the previous year. Many more Bangladeshis were lost to the Mediterranean's unforgiving waves. This duality—a nation lauded for its progress even as its citizens perish in pursuit of a mirage—demands a reckoning.
Bangladesh's economic narrative is one of resilience. From a war-torn nation in 1971 to the 35th largest economy in 2022, its growth has been fuelled by export-led industrialisation, digital innovation, and a youthful population. The Netherlands event showcased this success: 32 exhibitors from sectors like apparel, IT, and agro-food promoted "Made in Bangladesh" as a symbol of ethical production and opportunity. The European Union (EU), Bangladesh's largest trading partner, praised the country's "skilled workforce" and pledged support for labour rights and green energy transitions.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Yet, beneath this veneer lies a darker truth. While the elite negotiate trade deals in Amsterdam, young men from Madaripur, Cumilla, and Sylhet pawn ancestral land to pay traffickers Tk 5–16 lakh ($4,500–$14,500) for a seat on a rickety boat to Italy. Their desperation is not born of ignorance but of systemic failure: unemployment, wage stagnation, and a culture where migration is seen as the only escape from poverty.
The Mediterranean has long been a mass grave. In 2024 alone, 10,457 migrants died attempting to reach Spain, while UNICEF estimates 3,500 children perished on the Central Mediterranean route over the past decade. For Bangladeshis, the journey begins in Libya, which is a "false gateway" where 93 percent endure torture, extortion, or indefinite detention. Survivors describe boats capsizing, fuel tanks suffocating passengers, and families drowning together.
The EU's border policies exacerbate this carnage. By outsourcing migration control to states like Libya and Tunisia, which detain migrants in warehouses and push them onto riskier routes, Europe has turned the Mediterranean into a "kill zone." Spain's aerial surveillance and Italy's refusal to rescue distressed vessels epitomise a regime that prioritises deterrence over humanity. As Shariful Hasan, head of programme of migration at BRAC, notes, "This is not a dream journey; it's a death journey."
The hypocrisy of EU-Bangladesh relations
The EU's "Talent Partnership" with Bangladesh, aimed at promoting legal migration, rings hollow against this backdrop. While Erasmus+ scholarships and renewable energy projects are commendable, they pale beside the stark reality: Bangladeshis now account for 42 percent of Italy's sea arrivals, driven by a lack of "safe, regular pathways". The EU's investment of 500 million euros in Mauritania's border security is a replica of failed Libyan policies which only deepens the crisis.
Meanwhile, Europe's rhetoric of "shared prosperity" clashes with its fortress mentality, for example, Italy's crackdowns force survivors into shadow economies. The dissonance is staggering: the same Europe that applauds Bangladesh's economic rise criminalises its citizens for seeking a sliver of that wealth.
Behind the statistics are human stories. Bashar Akand, a father of one, died in a capsized boat after a year of exploitation in Libya. Titu, 19, suffocated in a fuel tank, betrayed by a broker who promised a work permit. These are not isolated tragedies but symptoms of a global order that commodifies hope.
Survivors like T. D., a Malian man who watched his brother drink seawater to death, recount horrors that defy comprehension. For every body recovered, countless others vanish into the Atlantic unidentified, unmourned and, erased from history. As Rayhan Kabir, a migration specialist at BRAC writes, "The wrong ship does not take you to Europe. It sinks you in the deadly sea".
Moving beyond exploitation and empty promises
The solution lies not in tighter borders but in addressing root causes. Investment in rural job creation and skill-building is needed to counter migration idealism. The EU's Talent Partnership should be expanded to include low-skilled workers and streamline visa processes. Cracking down on traffickers is crucial. Strengthening cross-border prosecutions and social media monitoring can help dismantle smuggling networks. Libya and Tunisia should be pressured to end migrant detention and collaborate on search-and-rescue missions. Finally, public awareness by educating families in high-migration districts about the realities of the journey is a must.
Europe cannot claim moral leadership while its shores are littered with corpses. Bangladesh cannot celebrate "growth" while its youth drown in despair. The Mediterranean, a sea that once connected civilisations, now symbolises our collective failure. The Amsterdam event should not be just another photo op but a catalyst for change. For every garment displayed, let us remember the hands that stitched it, and also the hands that grasped at a lifeboat, only to sink into darkness.
The dead have no use for elegies. But the living owes them action.
Zakir Kibria is a writer and policy analyst. He can be reached at [email protected].
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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