Two Bangladeshis jailed for torturing woman to live in Canada

A Bangladeshi woman was exploited and sexually assaulted in Canada with the dream of a good job and permanent residency. A court in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has sentenced two Bangladeshis to prison for human trafficking, labor exploitation and sexual assault. The convicts, Mohammad Masum, were sentenced to 14 years in prison and Sohel Haider to four years.

Canadian media outlets CBC News and CTV reported that Judge Miguel Martinez of the provincial court in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, announced the verdict on October 22. According to the court's verdict, Masum was found guilty of three counts of human trafficking and sexual assault. On the other hand, Haider was sentenced to four years in prison for human trafficking.

According to information presented to the court, the woman, who had worked in the government service in Bangladesh for about 18 years, came to Canada with the hope of finding a job in a restaurant and a permanent residence opportunity in the future. From August 2022 to March 2023, she worked in restaurants in the Gull Lake and Tisdale areas of Saskatchewan.

According to the complaint and court observations, she was forced to work long hours, six days a week. She was not paid proper wages and her work permit was also made uncertain. At one point, Masum kept the woman's passport with him and sexually assaulted her multiple times.

Later, after obtaining a work permit at a restaurant in the Elrose area, the woman was able to escape the exploitation situation with the help of some locals. She then sought legal help.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Masum to pay the victim's unpaid wages of 12,268 Canadian dollars and Haider to pay 5,885 Canadian dollars and 16 cents.