Call to set up 'legal clinics' in all UZs to help victims
Experts at a seminar yesterday said 'legal clinics' will have to be set up in all upazilas across the country for creating mass awareness against human trafficking and providing legal aid to the victims.
A comprehensive legal framework is needed to combat trafficking, especially women and child trafficking, and assist for rehabilitation of the survivors, they added.
Legal Education and Training Institute (LETI) and Bangladesh Bar Council in association with International Organisation for Migration (IOM) organised the seminar on 'Trafficking in persons: Emerging need for comprehensive legal framework' at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium in the city.
The experts said poverty, illiteracy and lack of awareness are the main causes for human trafficking and women and children are mainly victimised.
Chairman of LETI barrister Amir-Ul Islam suggested setting up of legal clinics in all upazilas where all kinds of legal aid and consultations will be provided to the victims, their relatives and mass people.
“A core group comprising lawyers, police and other legal community has to be made for setting up and running the legal clinics,” he said while addressing the seminar.
Additional Secretary of home ministry Sheikh Abdur Rashid said border security forces are not enough to stop women and children trafficking.
“Mass awareness and sensitisation against trafficking have to be spread out to the grassroots level. Otherwise, it is difficult to wipe out the network of traffickers,” he added.
IOM Regional Representative for South Asia Rabab Fatima said cross-boarder movement is commonplace in South Asia and taking this opportunity, a network of traffickers has been created in this region including Bangladesh.
Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed presented a keynote paper at the seminar while USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Denise Rollins, barrister Tania Amir and advocate Abdul Halim Khan also spoke.
The certificates were also distributed among the lawyers who participated in a two-day training about trafficking recently.
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