Bangladesh: UNODC and Police Staff College join hands to strengthen anti-human trafficking training

Dhaka, Bangladesh/25 January 2024: The challenge posed by Trafficking in Persons presents a substantial and complex challenge for Bangladesh, affecting both its economy and security. Vulnerable populations often become victims of deceptive recruitment practices, particularly women and children who face heightened risks of forced labor, sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude. In response, UNODC has actively supported Bangladesh by offering technical assistance, building capacity, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.

Building on these efforts, UNODC experts met with 16 officials of the Police Staff College-- under the framework of GLO.ACT Bangladesh--to revise a training manual for law enforcement officers on countering human trafficking, originally published by UNODC in November 2014. The meeting followed a day-long stakeholder workshop on curriculum development held last year, in which senior law enforcement officials and prosecutors provided invaluable insights and feedback on the manual.

Tasneem Binta Karim, Programme Associate of UNODC, highlighted the importance of this collaborative effort, emphasizing that “extensive feedback gathered from stakeholders has been meticulously incorporated into the updated draft of the training manual for law enforcement officers countering human trafficking.”

The discussion was focused on enhancing both the theoretical and practical aspects of the manual to suitable address the challenges faced by law enforcement officers on the ground.

Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Coordinator of UNODC, unveiled a strategic roll-out plan, outlining the dissemination and implementation strategy for the updated training manual.

Officials of the Police Staff College commended UNODC for taking the initiative to update the training manual and welcomed the sharing of the preliminary draft. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach, they emphasized the importance of aligning the manual with the 5P framework—Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Partnership, and Policy.

This alignment, participants said, would empower police officials to effectively contribute to prevention and partnership initiatives, enhancing their capacity to combat human trafficking at its roots.

This activity contributes to SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by European Union)