Live webinar on ‘Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Times of COVID-19 and Beyond’ organized by UNODC
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) conducted a live webinar on "Criminal Justice Responses to Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants in Times of COVID-19 and Beyond" on Thursday, 11 June , 2020.
The webinar was attended by many distinguished speakers including Ms. Mia Seppo, UN Resident Coordinator, Bangladesh; Ms. Nasima Begum, Chairperson, NHRC; Secretaries to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Secretary, Home Affairs and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Seppo expressed that she hoped that the joint consultation would result in concrete plans and actions. Touching upon the recent tragic killing of 26 Bangladeshi migrants in Libya on 27 May 2020, Ms. Seppo explained that "the COVID-19 world has further magnified the inequalities and vulnerabilities, and Bangladesh has had to pay the tragic toll on more than one occasion."
Ms. Nasima Begum pointed out that, "human rights must be at the centre of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inclusive measures aimed at protecting the rights and health of the whole population, including all migrants and trafficked persons, regardless of their migration status, are urgent and necessary."
Mr. Sergey Kapinos, Representative, UNODC Regional Office for South Asia and Mr. Giorgi Gigauri, Chief of Mission, IOM Bangladesh also shared their views on the current scenario of COVID-19 and its adverse impact on trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. Mr. M Shahidul Haque, former foreign secretary and current adviser to IOM stressed the significant impact crises such as armed conflicts, environmental disasters and currently, public health emergencies can have and stated that the government should be more alert now. He shed light on the need for regional cooperation in South Asia for effective protection of migrant workers.
Ms. Aimée Comrie and Mr. Craig Murphy, GLO.ACT project coordinators from UNODC and IOM respectively, introduced the work of the GLO.ACT project in Bangladesh, reiterating the need to support capacity-building for officials involved in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking and smuggling cases, and developing national expertise in the area.
Mr. Masud Bin Momen, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a video address where he spoke about the exploitation faced by Bangladeshi migrant workers and stated that safe and regular migration and dignified return of overseas workers is a top priority for the government and discussed the need for international cooperation in realizing the National Plan of Action (NPA) for Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking 2018-2022.
Mr. Golam Sarwar, Secretary, Law and Justice Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs discussed the need to implement the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012 and Mr. Abu Bakr Siddique, Additional Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs discussed the issue of COVID-19 infection in the Rohingya camps and the role of his ministry to fight against human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants by coordinating the activities of the concerned Ministries, departments and agencies.
Afterwards, Mr. Fabrizio Sarrica, UNODC Team Leader Research on TIP and SOM, discussed the newest report of UNODC and shed light on the relevant legal definitions as well as the statistics reflected in the report. The report found that the pandemic did not reduce irregular migration, rather it increased vulnerabilities, especially due to reduced Search and Rescue operations. Following this, Ms. Samatha Munodawafa discussed the recent case of 26 migrant workers killed in Libya who were tortured for ransom and shot. After the speeches, the floor was opened for questions and comments of the attendees, which included criminal justice practitioners, civil society representatives and academics.
Many pertinent recommendations were made during the discussion. Mohammad Golam Sarwar, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka recommended that measures should be taken to ensure access to justice of the victims of human trafficking and accountability of the implementing stakeholders under the existing laws must be ensured.
Asif Munir from IOM recommended that we should learn from the good practice and challenging examples of regional cooperation, in particular - the Bali Process and the Andaman Sea Crisis. He also said that regional policy and law enforcement is essential.
Event covered by Law Desk.