Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh 12 April 2023 – UNODC, under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants-Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh) organized a capacity-building workshop with law enforcement agencies on countering Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM). The workshop, held from 24 to 25 July 2022, focused on national and international legislation to deal with TIP investigations in Bangladesh more efficiently.
Under the third pillar of GLO.ACT-Bangladesh project, which aims to enhance the capacity of criminal justice practitioners, GLO.ACT-Bangladesh team has been organizing workshops on enhancing practitioners’ understanding of TIP and SOM. This is the second workshop with investigating officers organized by GLO.ACT-Bangladesh.
The workshop familiarized participants with the essential international legal instruments, frameworks, and investigation techniques related to human trafficking. It also served as a knowledge-sharing platform where investigating officers had vibrant and engaging discussions handling TIP investigations. Through group exercises, the investigating officers formulated a standardized response which would positively impact victim support services and prosecution, making the investigation and trial process more victim-friendly in Cox’s Bazar.
During the sessions, the following feedback was provided:
The last session of the workshop focused on group presentation to ensure gathering contextualized practices based on the substantive session of the workshops. Moreover, the presentation allowed the participants to increase their presentation skills. This is important as they are expected to promote a culture of knowledge sharing at their respective units. In the evaluation, the workshop participants noted an increased understanding of migrant smuggling. They acknowledged the nexus between TIP and SOM and stressed formulating a coordinated approach to tackle these crimes.
30 police officials from different branches of the police, including district police, criminal investigation department, special branch, and police bureau of investigation and immigration, took part.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants - Bangladesh (GLO.ACT - Bangladesh) is a joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), led by the Government of Bangladesh.GLO.ACT-Bangladesh builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 in 13 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Through targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions, the GLO.ACT aims to support the Government of Bangladesh and civil society organizations to more effectively fight the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling across the country. The project works on developing evidence-based information on trafficking and smuggling patterns and trends, legislative review and harmonization, capability development of criminal justice actors, and international cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms. The project is fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Coordinator
GLO.ACT-Bangladesh
unodc-glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
