UNODC holds workshop on human trafficking and migrant smuggling

On January 23, 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organised a workshop under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling (GLO.ACT Bangladesh) titled “Needs Assessment Workshop on Capacity Building of the Criminal Justice Actors to address Trafficking in Person and Smuggling of Migrants”.

Representatives from the Law and Justice Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Judicial Administrative Training Institute (JATI), the Attorney General’s Office, prosecutors and judges of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, and Judicial and Metropolitan Magistrates from Dhaka District and Session Judges Court actively participated in the workshop. The main objective of the workshop was to assess the current capacity-building needs and gaps and to develop a tailor-made capacity-building strategy for criminal justice actors, including the judges and prosecutors, tasked with addressing Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM).

In his welcome remarks, Mr. M. Golam Kibria, Director (Training), Judicial Administration Training Institution (JATI) discussed the constitutional and legal framework on trafficking in persons, forced labour, sexual exploitation and smuggling of migrants.

Ms. Ummey Kulsum, Joint Secretary, Law and Justice Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs moderated the open discussion and facilitated group tasks. During her intervention, she suggested that there should be different types of training for different judicial actors, and went on to say that institutional capacity building is also needed for the smooth functioning of the specialised tribunal.

Ms. Eurídice Márquez, GLO.ACT Programme Management Officer, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, UNODC Headquarters, highlighted the work of UNODC to prevent and address human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Márquez presented UNODC’s work with partner countries to improve the quality of trafficking investigations and prosecutions following a human-rights and victim-centred approach. Participants appreciated UNODC’s expertise and expressed their willingness and commitment to addressing TIP and SOM following their roles and responsibilities. 

Mr. Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Officer for GLO.ACT Bangladesh, UNODC Bangladesh, pointed out how the nature of human trafficking differs from other crimes and why it needs special focus. "Human trafficking is a transnational organized crime and it needs special emphasis and attention in terms of prosecution and investigation," he said. He mentioned the current lack of a dedicated training manual on TIP and SOM in existing training institutes and associated issues such as witness and victim protection during investigations and prosecutions.

The event covered by Raihan Rahman Rafid, student of law, University of Dhaka.