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Collective efforts needed to break rackets of human traffickers: Experts

BI Report || BusinessInsider

Published: 22:39, 28 July 2021  
Collective efforts needed to break rackets of human traffickers: Experts

Photo: Courtesy

The collective bold efforts of all stakeholders are needed to break the rackets of human traffickers and also curb the heinous crimes occurring in the country, senior government officials and experts said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a webinar, they emphasized on strict enforcement of the relevant laws of the land to immediately prosecute the human traffickers along with strengthening the counter trafficking mechanisms to resist the human trafficking from Bangladesh.

As the regular migration pathways have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the human traffickers have become desperate to trap the aspirant migrants in guise of migration, the experts said.

To mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2021, the webinar was jointly organized by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and International Organization for Migration.


Speaking as chief guest, Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary, said that the government has been concerned about human trafficking victims of Bangladesh who were stranded in Bosnia and were also rescued in Tunisia.

The Bangladesh missions abroad were working with the host countries about the human trafficking victims, he said, adding that “We are determined to continue repatriation of Bangladeshis”

Referring to rescued Bangladeshis in Tunisia, the foreign secretary said that some of the victims informed that they were lured jobs overseas by the traffickers and were put them in danger.

“Collective efforts are needed to break the trafficking network,’ he said.

Former foreign secretary ad adviser to IOM Shahidul Haque said that there were three driving forces –trade and business, technology and travelers’ movement working behind the human trafficking.

He said that human trafficking has been happening over the times for the vest interest of the business that involved huge amount of money.

Siobhan Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, said that implementation of Global Compact on Migration has been very important to curb the human trafficking.

“GCM objective-10 describes eradication of human trafficking,” she said, adding that protective measures should be taken to protect trafficking victims and their family members from exploitations.

In her welcome address, Mia Seppo, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, said that all stakeholders including government and non-government organizations, civil society, trade unions would have to work together to effectively address the human trafficking.

She noted that trafficking has been mixed with migration and women and children have been affected badly by the criminal offences.

JoAnne Wagner, Deputy US Ambassador to Bangladesh and Giorgi Gigauri, Network Coordinator of Bangladesh UN Network on Migration (BDUNNM) and IOM Chief of Mission in Bangladesh, among other also spoke at the webinar.

Counter trafficking campaigner and experts AKM Masul Ali and Prof Ishrat Shamim presented separate keynotes at the webinar.

Nagad
Walton