Dhaka, Bangladesh 15 July 2022 – Recent trends indicate an increase in traffickers that adopt scare tactics to lure children and youth into different forms of exploitation. While young people, especially those with higher risk factors, are vulnerable to human trafficking, they also have the potential to prevent trafficking through awareness raising.
UNODC in partnership with Daffodil International University (DIU), under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh) facilitated an in-person workshop with students from DIU on 11 June 2022. The workshop aimed to broaden participant’s knowledge and understanding of issues related to the rule of law in trafficking in persons (TIP) and the smuggling of migrants (SOM).
In the opening ceremony, Professor A.M.M. Hamidur Rahman, Dean, Department of Law, DIU, welcomed the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Registrar of DIU, UNODC staff and students to the workshop. Dr. S.M. Mahbub Ul Haque Majumder, Pro-Vice Chancellor, DIU, thanked UNODC for their initiative and stressed the importance of the contribution of young people in combatting TIP and SOM. After the opening ceremony, DIU faculty members and representatives from UNODC inaugurated the UNODC library corner with materials published by GLO.ACT-Bangladesh. The UNODC library corner will be a valuable resource for the students and researchers of DIU to learn about TIP and SOM.
The workshop consisted of several academic and interactive sessions and Rifat Zabeen Khan, Project Support Associate of GLO.ACT-Bangladesh, provided an overview of GLO.ACT.
The 30 students (15 female, 15 male) participated in a lively question and answer session with the facilitators exploring the root causes of TIP and SOM. Sharing his feedback on the workshop, Md. Tanvir Kabir commented, “I was very satisfied with the materials and content of the workshop, and the speakers were also very helpful. I learned the definition and distinction between TIP and SOM, and existing laws on human trafficking. Therefore, I can be more aware of people around me and whenever I notice any human trafficking and migrant smuggling incidents, I can assist the victim.”
The workshop facilitators were selected from the participants of the "Online Expert Workshop with University Faculty members: Teaching on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants" organized previously by the GLO.ACT-Bangladesh team from 25 to 26 August 2020.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT - Bangladesh) led by Government of 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: muhammad.hassan@un.org
unodc-glo.act@un.org
GLO.ACT Bangladesh
Twitter: @glo_act
