Desperate for a home away from home

A lack of opportunities for a better life at home pushed a record number of Bangladeshis to queue up for asylum in Europe last year.

A total of 40,332 Bangladeshis, who went to Europe with or without proper documents, applied for asylum in the 27 EU countries along with Norway and Switzerland (EU plus) in 2023, said the latest report by the European Union's refugee agency -- Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

The report titled "Latest Asylum Trends in 2023", published on February 28, said the number of asylum seekers last year was the highest in the last nine years and it was more than double the number in 2015, which was 17,217.

Experts point out several reasons for the rising number of people seeking asylum in Europe.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Prof CR Abrar, executive director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, said, "We have experienced political unrest, repression, and a lack of personal security in our country. These could be major reasons for seeking international protection in EU countries.

"A significant number of people aspire to provide a better future, including standard education and healthcare, for their children and family members, which are absent in our country. However, the formal channels to migrate there are very limited in those countries, which could be another reason for seeking asylum."

Additionally, there are also people who choose the EU countries for asylum to change the wheels of fortune, said Abrar, who was also a teacher of the international relations department at DU.

EUAA's 2023 report showed that the highest number of Bangladeshis seeking asylum was in Italy with 23,448 applicants, accounting for 58 percent of the total applications. It was followed by France with 10,215 applications.

Other countries receiving asylum applications from Bangladeshis include Romania (2,822), Austria (1,409), Greece (640), Ireland (445), Spain (380), Cyprus (314), Germany (164), Malta (118), and various other EU-plus countries receiving a combined total of 377 applications.

In 2022, Bangladeshis seeking asylum totaled 33,731. However, 2023 saw a significant surge, breaking all previous records.

Shariful Hasan, associate director of BRAC's Migration Programme and Youth Platform, said that both documented and undocumented Bangladeshis seek asylum in European countries after arriving on various visas, including tourist visas.

He said usually people from the countries ravaged by war and hit by severe economic crisis seek asylum.

"Bangladesh does not have those conditions. Yet, Bangladeshis seek international protection mostly for economic reasons, aiming for a better life for themselves and their families."

Shariful said a lack of job opportunities is another reason why people want to migrate to those countries.

According to the Labour Force Survey-2022 released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in October last year, the number of unemployed graduates doubled in five years since 2016-17, taking the number to 7.99 lakh from 3.90 lakh.

The unemployment rate among persons with tertiary-level education rose to 12 percent in 2022 from 11.2 in 2016-17.

The World Bank in a report in October 2019 said that more than a third of Bangladesh's youth remains unemployed for at least a year or two after graduation.

The number of Bangladeshis migrating illegally to Europe through various land and sea routes also saw an upsurge, according to Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency.

Its report titled "Risk Analysis for 2023/2024" shows the number of illegal border-crossings by Bangladeshis into Europe was 17,535 in 2022, almost an 8-fold rise from 2,254 in 2019.

Shariful pointed out that over 90 percent of applications are rejected because applicants fail to provide valid reasons to support their migration.

Regarding those who cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy, he added that they seek asylum to legalise their status there.

He highlighted the emergence of a business surrounding asylum in Italy, the UK, and other European countries, with firms providing legal services to asylum seekers, leading to adverse effects on genuine asylum seekers.

Lamea Momen, an assistant professor of DU's international relations department, said there is a worldwide practice wherein people, when entering any other country through illegal channels, utilise asylum as an avenue to legalise their status in those countries.

"It is a common practice worldwide."

She said that individuals typically flee their homeland and seek international protection due to political oppression, fear of persecution, their perceived lack of opportunities for a better life at home, or a growing sense of global disconnection resulting from increasingly restrictive immigration policies worldwide.

"These factors, whether acting independently or in combination, may explain why a record number of Bangladeshis are seeking international protection in the EU plus countries."

She added that understanding the underlying causes and drivers behind this surge in asylum seekers is crucial and calls for comprehensive ground research.