Illegal Migration and Trafficking of the Adivasi Women and Children : A socio-anthropological study of the Northern Region of Bangladesh

This research focused on the movement of Adivasis women and children from their place of origin to place of migration and how to trap by traffickers; and face physical and mental harassments. Both historical and empirical data have been used for this research. Historical data is mainly collected from secondary sources, such as published books, census reports, journals, articles, and souvenir. Empirical data has been gathered from intensive fieldwork, through oral histories, informal interviews and case study methods. The field investigations have been conducted in six villages of Nawabgonj and Naogoan District in northern Bangladesh. Usually illegal migrants cross the border (Indian border) at night, and they need a safe place to stay during the day. It is also found that the respondents are not well aware of the illegal nature of their occupation and the risks they are taking. Illegal migration is due to the natural disasters and fear of eviction from the land they occupied. Due to this illegal migration or trafficking, both the women and children face lots of religious and social discrimination at their new work places. For that some of them lost their usual livelihoods.