Bini Dahal

As we grow up, we require a lot of things, including economic security. Needless to say, money is a very important to our life and it can only be earned through a stable job. But most people are deprived of job. This is why they are in constant search for job opportunities to earn and survive.
But jobless people are very vulnerable to trafficking. And sometimes they are forced to lose their lives. In October last year, a great mishap called the "Essex Lorry Death" took place in the United Kingdom. About 39 Vietnamese of varying ages died in the unfortunate incident. The job seekers included 28 men, eight women and three children. They were lured by human traffickers to enter into the UK for better job prospects.
Most of them were transported by taxi to an agricultural shed in Bierne of France from where their journey by lorry began. The lorry then moved towards the Belgian port of Zeebrugge from where it was loaded on a ferry for the port of Purfleet in Essex. During the entire travel, the temperature inside the lorry continued rising and the oxygen level inside the lorry began decreasing. Then, the victims tried to escape and call for emergency services in Vietnam. But they failed to do so.
Thus, as they started dying inside the dark container, where the temperature rose to 38.5 degree Celsius, they recorded farewell messages for their relatives. Unfortunately, they died of overheating. According to a recent report published in The Guardian, Eamonn Harrison, 23, a lorry driver from Northern Ireland, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, the coordinator of the operation, from Romania, were found guilty of manslaughter. Christopher Kennedy, 24, another lorry driver from Northern Ireland and Valentin Calota, 38, a pickup driver from Romania, were also imprisoned for their unlawful act of smuggling people into the country.
With an involvement of more than 1,300 people, Essex Lorry Death was the biggest investigation ever conducted by the Essex police. Officers had analysed 1,586 witness statements and conducted 55 interviews. Most of the victims belonged to NgheAn and Ha Tinh provinces of north-central Vietnam, regions where people were suffering from lack of proper job opportunities and environmental disasters harming their livelihoods. So they were migrating to foreign countries to earn money for themselves and their family. The victims here had paid 10,500 euros and more to the human traffickers.
While some were aware of the way they would travel to the UK, some were given false promises of VIP treatments. But they were also sent in the same lorry. The amounts of money that the traffickers had received from the victims were more than enough to ensure a proper safe travel. But the traffickers had packed the people like animals in the lorry. The innocent people had risked their lives and even taken loan from banks to enter the UK.
And all they wanted was a better job prospect and financial condition for their family. But, neither did their dream come true nor was their loan paid off. The death of 39 persons is not just a wake-up call for the developed countries to check illegal migrants but also a plea for the governments of the developing countries to ensure more job opportunities and self-sufficiency for their citizens. Let us create an environment where no such event ever happens to anyone!