Dunkey is a local term for the practice of illegal migration from Pakistan to European countries. Tens of thousands of people attempt to travel illegally to Europe each year via Turkey, Iran, and the western Balkans due to Pakistan’s economic crises, food insecurity, violence, lack of freedoms, and job shortage.
According to a representative of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Punjab, the cultural pressure on young people to succeed and raise their families’ standard of living often leads them to choose the unlawful path. He asked to remain unnamed because he didn’t want to publicly comment on the matter.
The recent tragedy, the dead toll, and the survival accounts all sound the same. Four months ago, we lamented the deaths of at least 62 people from various nations, including a rising Pakistani football player who was leaving her home nation in search of better circumstances for her sick child.
After a boat transporting up to 750 migrants overturned due to overcrowding, about 50 Pakistanis are currently missing. 78 persons have reportedly died as a result of the tragedy. So far, at least 104 people have been saved, but hundreds remain missing. There were hundreds of Pakistanis on board, and there were also a number of passengers on the boat from the Kotli region of Azad Kashmir who have been reported missing ever since the tragedy.
In a society where those without inherited riches or influential positions find it difficult to raise their level of living, it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of people are leaving Pakistan. For many, moving abroad and establishing yourself in a developed nation is preferable to attempting to find some stability in life here.
The majority of countries have strong immigration laws, making it difficult for the poor and marginalized to legally look for better chances overseas. Profiteers have been able to take advantage of people’s weaknesses by promising them a safe voyage to European nations in exchange for a substantial sum of money.
In order to take his son to Libya and then Europe with the promise of making good money, the father of one of the missing men allegedly paid a local travel agent Rs2.2 million. In contrast, the father of another missing man allegedly paid Rs2.3 million to a travel agent affiliated with Nowshera Virkan who was partnered with a government official. It appears that several of the victims thought they were being transferred legally.
If these costs are as high as they appear to be and considering how frequently Pakistanis are discovered sneaking into Europe, it would seem that human trafficking is quickly evolving into one of the nation’s most lucrative illegal operations. “Illegal migration is a huge problem [in Pakistan] and no one seems to care about it,” Hassan Zaidi, maker of the 2018 short documentary Dunkey Following European Dreams, told Rest of World.
Additionally, traffickers are infamous for using risky transportation techniques, detaining their passengers in appalling conditions, and indulging in the sexual exploitation of migrant women. Nevertheless, while dismantling these criminal networks is crucial, this is more than just a matter of law enforcement. Without addressing the socioeconomic problems that push so many individuals into traffickers despite all the hazards they face, a lasting solution will remain elusive.
This entails doing more to develop the kinds of domestic opportunities that a lot of our impoverished people are being compelled to risk their lives to look for abroad. Furthermore, it’s time to admit that the worldwide visa process prejudices the underprivileged and disadvantaged.
