Dhaka, Rome agree to combat human trafficking

Bangladesh and Italy have agreed to combat transnational organised crime, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling, as well as terrorism and cybercrime.

The consensus came during a meeting between Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.

Bangladesh and Italy also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on migration and mobility, which will promote legal migration and prevent illegal migration, according to a joint statement issued yesterday.

During his visit to Bangladesh on May 5-6, Matteo Piantedosi called on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and held bilateral meetings with Expatriates' Welfare Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain and Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.

According to the joint statement, both the Bangladesh home adviser and the Italian interior minister welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries.

They emphasised the importance of capacity-building, continued information and intelligence sharing, and joint training to strengthen security frameworks in both nations.

Piantedosi also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation on the repatriation of those arriving illegally.

There are about 400,000 Bangladeshis working in Italy. The country wants to recruit more through legal means, while preventing illegal migration.

The MoU signed by Dr Asif Nazrul and Matteo Piantedosi on migration and mobility reflects Bangladesh's commitment to expanding labour markets abroad, securing remittance inflows, and uplifting the lives of people through legal migration pathways.

For Italy, it offers a solution to the challenges of labour shortages while promoting safe, orderly and regular migration.

This MoU will also help address irregular migration jointly and more effectively, including in line with the provisions of the "Standard Operating Procedures for the Identification and Return of Persons without an Authorization to Stay" signed between Bangladesh and the EU in 2017.