Unveiling Shadows: Understanding the Multi-Dimensional Challenges and Perspectives of Reintegrating Women Survivors of Trafficking in Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACT Human trafficking, and more precisely, its very core – the trafficking of women – is an increasingly sophisticated phenomenon in Bangladesh. However, there is a much-neglected area of research that concerns the post-trafficking socio-economic reintegration of women survivors. While there is a growing body of work regarding the experience of the victim, very little is known about the experiences of service providers who provide social and economic assistance for the protection and reintegration of women survivors. Employing an embedded thematic analysis in a qualitative study approach and utilizing interview methods, this study included 30 in-depth interviews with stakeholders. This study makes some key findings that stakeholder perspectives shed light on anti-trafficking policies, addressing complexities for effective interventions and policies. Women survivors of trafficking were vulnerable to socio-economic conditions in their post-trafficking repatriation phases due to prejudice and discrimination, particularly from community members. The social context in Bangladesh shows gender inequality, with high levels of patriarchal dominance denying women survivors access to social facilities and inclusion in society. The discriminatory practices meted out by community members through multiple forms of discrimination, circumnavigating challenges embedded in their post-trafficking lives, and being treated with less valued social roles.