Bangladesh: UNODC undertakes expert consultations to develop Standard Operating Procedure on human trafficking investigations

Dhaka, Bangladesh/28 August 2022: Successful conviction of offenders, redressal of grievances of victims and consequent prevention of crimes of human trafficking is possible when the first responders, i.e., the police agencies, perform their tasks diligently. In this process, investigation of crimes assumes an important role.

The task includes collection of intelligence about crimes, registering crimes in the police station, prompt action in investigation and prosecution and ensuring all legal and administrative follow-up measures. In this context, appropriate tools, such as SOP, are essential to empower the officials to carry out these tasks in the best professional manner. 

In this context, UNODC—under the aegis of GLO.ACT-Bangladesh--convened two drafting committee meetings with experts for preparing the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on human trafficking investigations. The aim of the SOP is to codify and compile the national and international practices for trafficking in persons (TIP) investigation and be a handy guide for operational level officers of Bangladesh Police.

The drafting committee was formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Bangladesh for preparing the initial draft of the SOP, which will subsequently be validated and published by the Ministry. Led by the Bangladesh Criminal Investigation Department, the drafting committee comprises representatives from Police Headquarters, Police Bureau of Investigation, Special Branch, Rapid Action Battalion, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and UNODC. 

The meetings focused on translating international and human rights principles to everyday activities of the investigating officers, ways to efficiently address smuggling of migrant as a field level officer, evidence collection, victim-friendly interviews and enhancing coordination with international governmental agencies and police officials.

This activity contributed to SDG 8 and SDG 16: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by the European Union)