Staff Reporter :
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat on Tuesday reaffirmed US government’s commitment to fight against human trafficking together, saying that it was high time to take coordinated, stern and strategic steps to prevent human trafficking.
“We reaffirm our ongoing commitment to prevent human trafficking. It is obviously crime to endanger lives of thousands of people in the sea on boat. The crying, helplessness and horrific scenario have touched us with aggrieved minds. So, coordinated, stern and strategic steps are a must to prevent such tragic incident,” Bernicat said.
She said this while addressing a launching ceremony titled “National Plan of Action for combating Human Trafficking 2015-2017” in the Windy Town Room of Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).
Ministry of Home Affairs organized the function with the support of USAID and WINROCK International. Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Dr M Mozammel Haque Khan presided over the function while Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Law Secretary Abu Saleh Sk M Zahirul Haque, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Expatiate Welfare Secretary Khandaker M Iftekhar Haider and Women and Children Affairs Secretary Nasima Begum addressed there, among others.
Bernicat, however, said, preventing trafficking is an incredibly difficult and complex problem. It is not the duty of the government alone to stop it. All the citizens of the country should work with the government to arrest the human traffickers. It is encouraging that both governmental and civil society groups in Bangladesh realized the significance of the cooperation and came forward in a concerted effort to prevent, protect and prosecute the criminals.
Bernicat said all are outraged by the crimes being committed against thousands of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis who have been stranded in overcrowded boats.
“The anguish and helplessness of these people and their families has touched every one of us. Their pathetic stories give us a clear message of becoming more coordinated, stringent, and strategic with our actions to combat human trafficking,” she said.
“Let us be firm today to continue the progress we have made thus so. The National Plan of Action to Combat Human Trafficking is a major step in the right direction,” Bernicat said. She also appreciated the initiative of the government for combating human trafficking by taking such plan and promised to continue work with the Bangladesh government in this regard.
USAID and WINROCK placed eight-point recommendations to prevent human trafficking. The recommendations are; repatriate the Bangladeshi victims from the sea and other places of the world and rehabilitate them, arrest members of trafficking syndicates and bring them under proper justice, media should increase campaign and awareness activities, CTC’s from union to upazila should take effective and accountable steps, police stations has to be more supportive and active in dealing cases, registration at union parishad and pourasava level before migrating for work inside or out of country should be made mandatory, employment generation initiatives has to be taken at local level to reduce unemployment and besides doing online registration of migrants the DEMO’s should also be tasked with taking specific employment generation activities and different trafficking prevention activities.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat on Tuesday reaffirmed US government’s commitment to fight against human trafficking together, saying that it was high time to take coordinated, stern and strategic steps to prevent human trafficking.
“We reaffirm our ongoing commitment to prevent human trafficking. It is obviously crime to endanger lives of thousands of people in the sea on boat. The crying, helplessness and horrific scenario have touched us with aggrieved minds. So, coordinated, stern and strategic steps are a must to prevent such tragic incident,” Bernicat said.
She said this while addressing a launching ceremony titled “National Plan of Action for combating Human Trafficking 2015-2017” in the Windy Town Room of Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).
Ministry of Home Affairs organized the function with the support of USAID and WINROCK International. Senior Secretary of the Home Ministry Dr M Mozammel Haque Khan presided over the function while Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Law Secretary Abu Saleh Sk M Zahirul Haque, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Expatiate Welfare Secretary Khandaker M Iftekhar Haider and Women and Children Affairs Secretary Nasima Begum addressed there, among others.
Bernicat, however, said, preventing trafficking is an incredibly difficult and complex problem. It is not the duty of the government alone to stop it. All the citizens of the country should work with the government to arrest the human traffickers. It is encouraging that both governmental and civil society groups in Bangladesh realized the significance of the cooperation and came forward in a concerted effort to prevent, protect and prosecute the criminals.
Bernicat said all are outraged by the crimes being committed against thousands of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis who have been stranded in overcrowded boats.
“The anguish and helplessness of these people and their families has touched every one of us. Their pathetic stories give us a clear message of becoming more coordinated, stringent, and strategic with our actions to combat human trafficking,” she said.
“Let us be firm today to continue the progress we have made thus so. The National Plan of Action to Combat Human Trafficking is a major step in the right direction,” Bernicat said. She also appreciated the initiative of the government for combating human trafficking by taking such plan and promised to continue work with the Bangladesh government in this regard.
USAID and WINROCK placed eight-point recommendations to prevent human trafficking. The recommendations are; repatriate the Bangladeshi victims from the sea and other places of the world and rehabilitate them, arrest members of trafficking syndicates and bring them under proper justice, media should increase campaign and awareness activities, CTC’s from union to upazila should take effective and accountable steps, police stations has to be more supportive and active in dealing cases, registration at union parishad and pourasava level before migrating for work inside or out of country should be made mandatory, employment generation initiatives has to be taken at local level to reduce unemployment and besides doing online registration of migrants the DEMO’s should also be tasked with taking specific employment generation activities and different trafficking prevention activities.
