Cabinet approves MoU with India to rescue trafficking victims
Cabinet approves MoU with India to rescue trafficking victims
The cabinet today approved a proposal for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bangladesh and India on bilateral cooperation for prevention of human trafficking, and rescue, repatriation and rehabilitation of the victims.
The MoU is likely to be inked during Indian home secretary's three-day visit to Bangladesh from September 2 for the Bangladesh-India home secretary-level meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.
As per the deal, he said, both the countries would work according to their respective Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) and take legal actions against the traffickers as per their laws.
The cabinet secretary said women and children are trafficked to different countries, mostly from Bangladesh to India and from India to Bangladesh and both the countries remain aware of it and are taking different measurers to this end.
A taskforce has also been working on the issue between the two countries, he added.
Musharraf said as per the MoU, Bangladesh and India would also follow the Coordinated Border Management Plan and exchange necessary information over human trafficking and people under 18 years old would be treated as children.
He said both sides will also provide security to the victims, protect privacy and rehabilitate within the shortest possible of time.
The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of 'The Railway Property (Unlawful Procession) Act-2014' and 'Railway Security Force Act-2014. Both the acts were ordinance promulgated by military regimes in 1976 and 1979 respectively.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who chaired the meeting directed the railway ministry to make a comprehensive list of its lands grabbed since the country’s independence and take measures to recover those.
Musharraf said the railway security force act has been approved in order to bring coordination between the police and the railway security personnel in carrying out duties.