BD fights to curb human trafficking : US Report
Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh remains on Tier 2 in the latest U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, reflecting ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking but highlighting persistent gaps in law enforcement, victim protection, and prevention.
The report acknowledges that the government has increased training for police, judges, and frontline officials on victim identification and trauma-informed care and has formally adopted a National Referral Mechanism to guide victim protection.
Authorities identified 1,462 trafficking victims and referred 1,607 individuals to protection services.
Civil society and international organizations reported identifying thousands more victims, illustrating the scale of the problem.
Despite these efforts, protection for men, migrant workers, and Rohingya refugees remains limited, and many victims face restrictions on their freedom of movement in government-run shelters.
Law enforcement and prosecution faced setbacks, particularly following civil unrest in August 2024 that disrupted police operations and courts.
Investigations fell from 975 to 811 cases, prosecutions dropped from 3,475 to 452 suspects, and convictions declined from 407 to 103.
Observers cited weak collaboration between police and prosecutors, lack of anti-trafficking expertise, and reliance on victim-witnesses as factors undermining enforcement.
Corruption and complicity of officials, including some facilitating the trafficking of Rohingya refugees, continue to hinder progress.
Labor trafficking remains pervasive both domestically and abroad, with debt-based coercion a significant risk for migrant workers.
Although recruitment fees are legally capped, many workers pay excessive amounts to sub-agents or unlicensed recruiters, increasing vulnerability to exploitation.
Reports indicate women migrating for domestic work in the Gulf and Southeast Asia face forced labor and sex trafficking, while male migrants are exploited in construction, agriculture, and other sectors.
Children remain highly vulnerable to forced labor in informal sectors, garment factories, brick kilns, and domestic work, while child sex trafficking continues in legal and illegal brothels, with tens of thousands of girls affected.
Traffickers increasingly use social media, online job advertisements, and fraudulent contracts to lure victims, often abroad.
The Rohingya refugee population in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char faces acute vulnerability, the report said.
Armed groups and criminal networks forcibly recruit children, while limited economic opportunities, corruption, and restricted mobility increase exposure to trafficking.
Refugee girls are trafficked domestically and internationally, sometimes under the guise of employment or marriage, with some “traded” online.
On the prevention front, the government maintained national awareness campaigns and multi-country working groups to combat trafficking, while labor inspectors removed thousands of children from hazardous work conditions.
However, oversight of informal sectors remains inadequate, and high costs of legal migration continue to drive exploitation through fraudulent recruitment practices.
The TIP Report emphasises the need for stronger investigations, prosecution of complicit officials, expanded victim services-including for men, migrants, and Rohingya-and effective implementation of labor protections and anti-trafficking laws.
Experts warn that without systemic reforms and robust enforcement, trafficking vulnerabilities, particularly among children, migrant workers, and refugees, will persist across Bangladesh.
Among Bangladesh’s South Asian neighbors, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan also remain on Tier 2.
Nepal and the Maldives are still on the Tier 2 Watch List, while Afghanistan has once again been placed in Tier 3, the lowest ranking reserved for countries making minimal efforts to meet anti-trafficking standards.