PORIMOL PALMA and JAHID HASAN, from Shariatpur

Concrete houses with bright colours are dotted across several villages in Shariatpur, standing as proof of the hard-earned economic success of Bangladeshi migrants in Italy.

For many young men in these villages, Italy represents an escape from poverty and a chance at a better life.

But the dream of reaching Europe is often shattered. Many of the fortune seekers embark on perilous journeys through the Mediterranean from Libya, only to face torture, detention, extortion and near-death experiences at sea. Many others lose their lives along the way.

For those who make it back alive, home often turns into another battleground marked by debt, trauma and social isolation.

“I thought I was going to Italy to save my family. Instead, I had to return home to a cycle of debt and nightmares,” said 43-year-old Khabir Hossain Khan, a father of two from Paschim Kotapara in Shariatpur Sadar Upazila.

He once worked as a salesman at a shop but the income was barely enough to support his family of four. Then came the promise of finding a better life in Italy.

“A broker told me that many people were going to Italy through Libya and earning well there. He said it was safe,” Khabir recalled.

The deal sounded simple: he would pay Tk 4 lakh once he reached Libya. Then he would be taken to Italy through the Mediterranean.

On November 4, 2023, Khabir left Bangladesh on a route now familiar among irregular migrants -- Dhaka to Dubai, then to Libya via Egypt.

After arriving in Benghazi, a Bangla-speaking broker received him. He was then taken to Tobruk, a port city in the northeastern region of Libya. What followed was months of captivity.

In February 2024, Khabir was moved to what migrants call a “game house” -- a facility where migrants are confined before they embark on sea crossings to Italy.

“The rooms had no fans. Food was scarce. We sometimes survived on raw noodles... The guards would resort to horrific torture. They would beat us with thick ropes and plastic pipes for no reason.”

Then came an attack from a Libyan gang of human traffickers.

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