Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, 30 August 2023 - UNODC, under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants-Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh), organized a refresher workshop with prosecutors and humanitarian agencies on trafficking in persons (TIP) and the smuggling of migrants (SOM) in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, from 28 to 29 August 2023.
Recognizing the important role of coordination between prosecutors and humanitarian agencies in Cox’s Bazar, GLO.ACT-Bangladesh had previously organized a workshop with prosecutors and staff of humanitarian agencies in May 2023. The initial workshop focused on the participants' technical skills to effectively deal with human trafficking issues.
To further support and strengthen the skills of the participants and gather their reflections, the follow-up workshop in August 2023 aimed to share the latest developments on TIP and SOM, provide support on issues faced in the field, and delve into specialized thematic areas such as TIP for the purpose of organ removal, and online-enabled TIP and SOM.
Commenting on the workshop, Shahidul Alam Chowdhury from BLAST explained, “During the last workshop, we worked with different scenarios as exercises to solidify our understanding of TIP and SOM. Interestingly, in the recent months, we have encountered a case which is similar to one of the scenarios we had worked on earlier. Therefore, I have already established the standard procedure and steps based on which I am able to support the victim much better.”
The participants also shared the following reflections:
The second day of the workshop focused on taking input from the participants on building a victim-friendly criminal justice system, increasing coordination between different stakeholders, and ensuring compensation for victims.
A total of 23 participants (8 female, 15 male), including prosecutors and staff of humanitarian agencies based in Cox’s Bazar, attended the refresher workshop.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT - Bangladesh) is a joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). GLO.ACT-Bangladesh builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 in 13 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Through targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions, the GLO.ACT aims to support the Government of Bangladesh and civil society organizations to more effectively fight the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling across the country. The project works on developing evidence-based information on trafficking and smuggling patterns and trends, legislative review and harmonization, capability development of criminal justice actors, and international cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms. The project is fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Coordinator
GLO.ACT-Bangladesh
Twitter: @glo_act