When large-scale, catastrophic events take place in one country, there’s a tendency for them to have a ripple effect and carry into others.
The Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan is a prime example of this. Since the Taliban reemerged, the United Nations reports almost 30 million people in the country require humanitarian aid that can only arrive from other nations.
On top of that, the recent earthquake in Turkey has been disastrous, thereby prompting migrants to flee to nearby countries, such as Bulgaria.
Though Bulgaria is not without problems of its own. In fact, in a case that led to nearly 20 deaths, prosecutors in Bulgaria are now charging multiple people with human trafficking, per CNN.
A Closer Look at Charges Initiated by Bulgarian Law Enforcement
Near Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, authorities located a truck containing the dead bodies of 18 Afghan persons. To add insult to injury, the truck containing their corpses was found abandoned on a dirt road.
Due to the gravity and gruesomeness of this crime, prosecutors in Bulgaria are charging six different individuals with human trafficking. Of the Afghan migrants who didn’t die, they were found to be disoriented, dizzy, and likely unaware of their immediate location.
Prosecutors in Bulgaria have charged six people with human trafficking following the discovery near the capital, Sofia, on Friday of an abandoned truck containing the remains of 18 Afghan migrants who died of suffocation.
— LTN 🐝 (@Livetradingnews) February 20, 2023
Some of the individuals being transported were also found to be in a hidden section of the truck that was obscured with foil.
Now, two of the six persons facing human trafficking charges are the truck driver, along with the person accompanying the driver.
A Global Problem
Sadly, the issue of human trafficking exists worldwide. It is not limited to Bulgaria by any means. Human trafficking has been found and documented in every single nation. It also exists in every single state across America.
However, in the fight against human trafficking are various organizations, such as Operation Underground Railroad, Polaris Project, and others. People who are interested in joining the fight against human trafficking can help spread the word about it and support anti-human trafficking organizations.
Youth pastor, foster parent arrested for human trafficking in Florida https://t.co/5LoU4lduK6 pic.twitter.com/1vHeTRLX81
— New York Post (@nypost) February 19, 2023
Many human traffickers wait for times of crisis (such as the war in Ukraine, the earthquake in Turkey, and the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan) in order to strike. Traffickers prey on vulnerability and exploit people’s needs for the sake of controlling these people.
Around the world, action to end human trafficking, hold perpetrators accountable, and rescue survivors remains more imperative than ever.
It remains to be seen if the charges from Bulgarian prosecutors stick and whether or not other people will find themselves facing legal consequences.
What do you think of this latest human trafficking scandal out of Bulgaria? Would you like to see more efforts around the world to crack down on human trafficking? Please feel free to let us know down below in the comments section.
