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Empirical Evidence on Human Trafficking and Migration-Debt Contracts in Bangladesh

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  • Mohammad Abdul Munim Joarder
  • Paul W. Miller

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the payments illegal migrants make to traffickers. It covers the total amounts of these payments, the incidence of migration-debt (or shared) contracts, and the value of the deferred payment component under these shared contracts. Data on illegal migrants from three field surveys conducted in Bangladesh from April 2009 to November 2010 are used. The results show that the total payments made to traffickers vary with easily observed characteristics (gender, age, marital status) but do not vary with details of the migration process (training provided, time spent in the trafficker's queue). These relationships are consistent with exploitation. Migration-debt contracts are more prevalent when the costs of illegal migration are relatively high, which adds empirical support to theoretical models such as Friebel and Guriev (2006). Contrary to existing reports, we document variations in fees for illegal passage across individuals.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Abdul Munim Joarder & Paul W. Miller, 2014. "Empirical Evidence on Human Trafficking and Migration-Debt Contracts in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(3), pages 399-412, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:50:y:2014:i:3:p:399-412
    DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.858128
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Randall Akee & Arnab K. Basu & Arjun Bedi & Nancy H. Chau, 2014. "Transnational Trafficking, Law Enforcement, and Victim Protection: A Middleman Trafficker's Perspective," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(2), pages 349-386.
    2. Seo-Young Cho, 2012. "Modeling for Determinants of Human Trafficking," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 216, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shoji, Masahiro & Tsubota, Kenmei, 2022. "Sexual exploitation of trafficked children: Survey evidence from child sex workers in Bangladesh," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 101-117.
    2. Masahiro Shoji & Kenmei Tsubota, 2018. "Sexual Exploitation of Trafficked Children: Evidence from Bangladesh," Working Papers 175, JICA Research Institute.
    3. Khan, Adnan, 2020. "A Bibliography Search on International Migration and Remittances Literature during the period of 1971-2020: A Case of Bangladesh," MPRA Paper 108143, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2020.
    4. Khan, Adnan & Mrs, Sultana, 2020. "International Migration Literature Search in Bangladesh during the period of 1971-2020," MPRA Paper 108328, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2020.
    5. Gregory E. van der Vink & Katherine N. Carlson & Erica Phillips & Sabrina H. Szeto & Jeffrey Park & Michael E. Jackson, 2024. "Identifying vulnerability to human trafficking in Bangladesh: An ecosystem approach using weak‐signal analysis," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(1), pages 524-540, January.

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