ZCZC
BSS-15
MIGRANT-WORKER-TRAFFICKING
Rights activists for taking effective steps to prevent human trafficking
DHAKA, Jan 27, 2019 (BSS) – Rights activists at a meeting have urged the
government to take effective steps to implement the existing laws aiming to
check trafficking of the country’s migrant workers.
They said the government should create skilled manpower by giving them
quality training as per requirement of oversea job markets with a view to
preventing the workers from trafficking.
Solidarity Center – Bangladesh Office and SAARCLAW jointly organised the
‘Stakeholders Advocacy Meeting on Analysis and Application of the Prevention
and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012’ at a city hotel yesterday, a
press release said.
Speaking as the chief guest, director general of the Bureau of Manpower,
Employment and Training Salim Reza said the government is showing ‘zero
tolerance’ to trafficking.
Highlighting the migrants’ role in the country’s economy, he said they sent
over US$ 15 billion of remittance to Bangladesh last year.
Salim said the Awami League government in its election manifesto is
committed to building skilled workers at upazila level so that they could be
sent abroad at lower cost.
SAARCLAW secretary general Muhammad Mohsin Rashid stressed the need for
creating mass awareness to prevent human trafficking.
He suggested the BMET to provide training the country’s youths for making
them skilled for better jobs in the Europe countries.
“Whole Europe is still green. Teach the aspirant migrants German and French
languages,” he said.
Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Lutfun Kadir made a power-point
presentation on ‘Explanation of Prevention and Suppression of Human
Trafficking Act, 2012′.
Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association president Advocate Fowzia
Karim Feroze, Solidarity Center’s country programme director Christopher K
Johnson, its senior programme officer Dr Lily Gomes, trade union leader Nazma
Akter, WARBE Development Foundation director Jasiya Khatoon and BOMSA
chairman Lily Jahan, among others, spoke at the meeting.
BSS/PR/KUC/MRI/1606 hrs