Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said developed countries and international partners need to ensure the smooth transfer of the latest technological innovations to developing countries to effectively combat human trafficking.
He said human traffickers equipped with technology can do greater harm but the government agencies and relevant stakeholders can undo the efforts of the trafficker effectively with the help of technology.
"We need to keep in mind that human trafficking is a transboundary crime and the traffickers may possess better technology than it is available in a particular country," he said.
Momen was speaking at the National Consultation on "Combating Human Trafficking in the Context of Use of Technology and its Abuse" at a city hotel on Saturday.
To end human trafficking, Momen said they need a comprehensive view of it. "We must ask, why young men and women, in the first place, become victims of the dangerous route of trafficking. We know why."
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said trafficking in persons is a serious human rights violation and the government has a zero-tolerance policy on this.
"We are actively taking steps to fight this horrific crime," he said.
The fight against trafficking requires multi-stakeholder engagement.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to increase awareness around human trafficking utilising the digital space,” he added.
The scourge of human trafficking has expanded into cyberspace as a result of the expansion of technology use around the world, which in turn has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition of our daily lives to online platforms.
It is imperative that efforts to combat human trafficking are coordinated both online and offline.
The theme of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2022 is “Use and Abuse of Technology,” and focuses on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and combat human trafficking.
To mark the day, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and the Counter Trafficking in Persons Technical Working Group (CTIP-TWG) of the Bangladesh UN Network on Migration (BDUNNM) organised the event.
The consultation explored recent human trafficking trends in the context of COVID-19 and its aftermath and the trafficking of persons in cyberspace.
Participants at the consultation called on the government of Bangladesh (GoB), international partners, the private sector, and civil society actors to focus their efforts on advancing a robust, rights-based approach aimed at preventing the exploitation of individuals by trafficking networks and shrinking the space in which they operate.
Bangladesh is a source, transit, and destination country for women, men and child victims of human trafficking.
Bangladesh, though still ranking at “Tier 2”, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2022 highlights significant progress in responding to TIP in Bangladesh through joint efforts of Government and non-government partners.
Due to the global economic contraction, job losses and difficulties earning livelihoods have amplified the risk of trafficking.
In addition to root causes of human trafficking reportedly intensifying, Bangladesh has experienced an increase in the form of digital abuse and exploitation, with traffickers rapidly adjusting to the changing landscape.
According to Md. Akhter Hossain, Senior Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, “Victims of trafficking experience physical & mental violence levels, harassment, forced labour, forced & illegitimate marriages, death, and they are often used in drugs and goods trafficking rings. The government has taken strong steps to combat human trafficking at all levels.”
Dr Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, said the government of Bangladesh has sufficient laws and policies to combat human trafficking.
“In addition, the Global Compact on Migration commits to eradicating trafficking in persons. We now need to ensure comprehensive efforts at national, regional, and global levels to implement these laws effectively and end this heinous crime.”
Gwyn Lewis, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh said the technology also presents a lot of potential as a tool to combat trafficking.
"The ability of law enforcement and the criminal justice system to use technology in their responses to trafficking will be crucial to the future success of efforts to eradicate human trafficking.”
Abdusattor Esoev, Chief of Mission of IOM & Coordinator of the Bangladesh UN Network on Migration, said prevention and awareness-raising activities on the safe use of the internet and social media can help mitigate the online risk of trafficking.
"Cooperation with the private sector is important to harness their innovation and expertise in developing sustainable technology-based solutions to support prevention and combatting of human trafficking.”
Of the almost one million Bangladeshis migrating abroad every year, many vulnerable migrants are targeted by traffickers, and some are subject to debt bondage, forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriages and other forms of modern slavery.
Robert Chatterton Dickson, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh; Nathalie Chuard, Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh; Jeremy Opritesco, Charge d’Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union; and Scott Brandon, acting Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy in Bangladesh were also present.
