Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a workshop called for ensuring collaboration between public and private sectors for protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking through National Referral Mechanism (NRM). A large number of people, including women and children, are being trafficked from Bangladesh every year. Taking necessary measures for their economic and social rehabilitation after rescuing them is a must through coordinated services, they said.

Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012 of Bangladesh called for ensuring justice for trafficking victims, starting from rescue to their mental, social and economic protection. It is hoped that it would be possible to ensure these through the national referral structure, they observed. They made the remarks while addressing a divisional level sharing and orientation workshop titled ‘Implementation of National Referral Mechanism in Protecting and Aiding human trafficking victims’ at Hotel Inter-Continental in the capital today (Wednesday).

Public Security Division under the Home Ministry organized the event with the support of Ashshash project of Winrock International and INCIDIN Bangladesh. Abu Hena Mostafa Zaman, Additional Secretary of Public Security Division, Home Ministry, was present as chief guest, while Muhammad Jashim Uddin Khan, joint secretary of the ministry, chaired it.

Ishita Rony, deputy secretary of Public Security Division, Home Ministry, gave the welcome address. Dipta Rokhit, project director of Ashshash project, and representatives of 29 ministries, INGOs and UN organizations, among others, spoke on the occasion. AKM Masud Ali, executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh, presented the NRM implementation strategy paper. Comprising the representatives from the government, Civil Societies and international organizations, National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is an Umbrella structure to identify the victims of human trafficking, refer them for taking services, and ensure their protection.

The five-year long Ashshash project (from 2022 to 2027) supported the NRM under Public Safety Division of the Home Ministry. NRM’s main task will be to provide services to trafficking victims and make a coordination among service providing agencies both at the GO & NGOs at district, division and upazila levels. National Human Trafficking Prevention Authority under the Public Security Division of Home Ministry will be its implementing authority.

The event was told that Ashshash project, supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, and implemented by Winrock International, is working in 10 trafficking prone districts of Bangladesh. Under the project, efforts will be made to rescue trafficking victims from abroad, provide safety and legal assistance, raise awareness, hold advocacy, arrange micro-credit, rehabilitate the victims at their families, provide psycho-social service, give shelter and health services, education, and skill development for engaging in technical and livelihood activities.