Poverty cause of women, children trafficking
A recent study identifies poverty as the major cause behind trafficking of women and children in the country.
Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) conducted the study in 38 districts identifying Jessore and Satkhira as the most frequently used lands routes for trafficking witht 64 percent of the victims being females aged between 13 and 17 years.
Jessore, Satkhira, Mymensingh and Dhaka are the major source areas, while there are as many as 20 transit districts bordering India used for trafficking women and children, the study mentions.
Sharing the study at Brac Centre yesterday Prof Ishrat Shamim, president of CWCS said, poverty caused by natural and man-made disasters is one of the key factors behind the rise of trafficking. Both external and internal trafficking are presently at large.
Apart from poverty other reasons that increase vulnerability of women and children include, child marriage and domestic violence, she said.
Promises of better jobs, marriage, deception through love affair, legal or illegal migration channels, selling of young women by step-parents, relatives or husbands and kidnapping are the main modes of procuring victims for trafficking.
The victims are then traded for prostitution, domestic work, forced marriage, pornography, sex tourism and organ trade. Forced labour is also becoming a prominent factor these days, she added.
The victims run the risk of various health-related problems including unwanted pregnancy, drug addiction, vulnerability to STDs and HIV/AIDS, the study mentions.
The ones experiencing different forms of physical brutality are also susceptible to psychological trauma, mental disorder or depression leading to suicide.
Addressing the launching ceremony, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, state minister for Women and Children's Affairs said, the government has planned to review existing laws related to trafficking to suit them to the current situation. Regional and international cooperation is vital, as no country can combat trafficking single-handedly, she mentioned.
Advocate Salma Ali, executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) said, Bangladesh signed and ratified many conventions that provide guidelines on rescue and repatriation. However, those guidelines were not incorporated into the laws of the country, she observed.
Among others, Shireen Hasan, executive director of CWCS, Olatz Landa, co-ordinator Asia Unit, ANESVAD Foundation, Dr. Ubaidur Rob, country director, Population Council, and N B K Tripura, NDC, Additional Inspector General, Bangladesh Police also spoke.
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