Trade union leaders, labour lawyers and rights activists at a discussion on Wednesday urged the government to take stern action against human traffickers and bring them to justice. They also called upon the government to take measures to protect the migrant workers from trafficking.
Solidarity Center-Bangladesh Office arranged the discussion on ‘Analysis and Application of the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012′ on Wednesday at a city hotel here, a press release said. Additional Secretary of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, Solidarity Center Country Programme Director Christopher K Johnson, and its Deputy Country Programme Director Kelly Fay Rodriguez spoke at the meeting.
Senior advocate at Jashore Judge Court Saleha Begum made an analytical presentation on the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act-2012. Addressing the meeting, Munirus Saleheen said trafficking in migration is now a big challenge for Bangladesh, but the government is working relentlessly to stop human trafficking.
About the recently adopted Global Compact on Migration, he said the government is working sincerely to ensure safe, orderly, regular and responsible migration from Bangladesh in light of the global instrument. Saleheen urged the stakeholders concerned to extend their cooperation to the government efforts to check human trafficking. Christopher K Johnson said: “It is no longer sufficient for us to only consider what is best for our community. Our understanding of local law and international instruments is necessary if we seek to safeguard human rights within and outside of our national boarder”.
In her presentation, Saleha Begum said human trafficking is perpetrated in network and the act has addressed every stage of the trafficking process, including extra-regional jurisdictions as the crime involves multiple nations.
She stressed signing bilateral or multinational agreements between the countries of origins and the destinations to check the trafficking at all stages.
According to data of the Human Trafficking Cell of Police Headquarters, about 4,414 trafficking cases have so far been lodged under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act-2012.
