Speakers at a programme said our country will gain more financial benefits if there is a process for safe rights-based labour migration.
Unsafe migration results in human trafficking, which ultimately causes financial losses to the country. Hence, it is necessary to take steps for ensuring the safe migration process for the sake of our economic development, they said.
They observed this while addressing the event titled ‘Sharing meeting on digital referral for victims of human trafficking’ at a hotel in the capital on Thursday.
INCIDIN Bangladesh and TdH Netherlands jointly organized the event marking the two year completion of the project ‘A One Stop Digital Service Centre to Address Trafficking during Covid-19 in Bangladesh’.
Each year, over 400,000 workers leave the country for overseas employment. But due to lack of proper knowledge of labour migration and proper training, those people are easily trafficked and get exploited. About 7.8% of total international labour migration from Bangladesh occurs in Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka alone, they observed.
‘A large number of the victims are women and children who are trafficked to mainly the Middle East. During Covid-19 situation, traffickers used social media, online games and chat programmes to target potential victims, often becoming romantically involved, luring them with job offers, and forcing them into exploitive situations’.
Grassroots people are being victims of trafficking due to the unsafe migration. The victims face financial, physical and mental problems, they said, calling for raising awareness by launching anti-trafficking campaign.
Stressing on proper enforcement of the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012, they called on the government and NGOs to develop an effective strategy for preventing human trafficking.
In his speech, Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission Bangladesh, who attended as the chief guest, said we need to work with holistic approach at national and international forums to ensure the safe labour migration.
Advocate Salma Ali, president of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association, opined for taking up measures for preventing the crime.
Chaired by AKM Masud Ali, executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh, Mahmudul Kabir, Country Director of TdH Netherlands, Binoy Krishna Mallik, Executive Director of Rights Jessore, representatives of different government departments and national and international NGOs, also spoke at the event.
