Human trafficking and slavery: Bangladesh and global perspective

Fariha: They kept me inside of a flat of a residential building in India’s Bangalore. My agent
forced me to work at a hotel as a sex worker. I denied and they started physically and mentally
torturing me. I was in the flat for a13 days and didn’t take any food from them and didn’t sleep for
a moment in fear.Finally my family paid an additional amount of 1.5 lacs takas to the local agent
Azizul and Kader. They left me in a jungle near the border with Bangladesh from where I was sent
to an Indian prison by countries border security force. I stayed in two Indian jails. for nearly 11
months. This is a statement of a victim Jayeda Akhter who narrated her nightmarish tale on the eve
of the world day against trafficking in person’s observed on July 30 to raise awareness of human
trafficking.

Assalamu alaikum everyone. Today me with my other group members will carry out a presentation
on Human trafficking and slavery on the perspective of Bangladesh. Throughout this presentation
we’re going to mainly cover on

 ancient and modern history of Human trafficking and slavery

 why and how they get smuggled?
 case references
 the societal perspective and the impact on victims
 Legal framework on anti trafficking.
 The roles of NGO’s and individuals.
 are the govt’s actions enough?

Barsha: what is human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery It is an extreme form of labor exploitation where
men, women and children are recruited or obtained and then forced to labor against their will
through force, fraud or coercion.

Barsha: Human trafficking: then and now

slavery operated in the sumer in Mesopotamia in 3500 BC which is the first civilization. It was
found in almost every ancient civilization, including the roman Empire. Islamic slavery
encompassed mainly western and central Asia, Northern and eastern Africa, India and Europe.
Slavery of the past was an accepted economic practice, but today, human trafficking is a criminal
activity.

During the 1983-2005 second Sudanese civil war, people were taken into slavery. Although owning
slaves has long been outlawed in the world, modern-day slavery, or human trafficking, still exists
globally including Bangladesh.

Zaima:Why and how they get smuggled?

: Discussions of human trafficking are generally divided into 4 components:

 Forced marriage
 trafficking for organ trades
 commercial demands for sex.
 child and labor trafficking.
 Poverty and globalization.

WHY
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according to UNICEF.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS THE ONLY INDUSTRY IN WHICH THE SUPPLY AND

DEMAND ARE THE SAME THING: HUMAN BEINGS. PEOPLE DEMANDING THE SALE
OF PEOPLE.

High demand drives the market to seek a high volume of supply. Increasing demand from
consumers for cheap goods incentivizes corporations to demand cheap labor, often forcing those at
the bottom of the supply chain to exploit workers. Secondly, increased demand for commercial sex
Mass displacement, conflict, extreme poverty, lack of access to education and job opportunities,
violence, and harmful social norms like child marriage are all factors that push individuals into
situations of trafficking. Ultimately, harmful social norms and systemic inequity fuel trafficking
because traffickers target vulnerability.

How?

Traffickers look for the impoverished, the desperate, the ones without legitimate job options, the
ones without education opportunities, and the ones looking for a way to escape the violence.
Human trafficking is now facilitated online and through social media. Traffickers use love and
affection as control mechanisms, and victims might not even self-identify as victims. Traffickers
use force and fraud to compel their victims into forced labor or sexual exploitation.

Adiba :Turning now to some case references

In Bangladesh 5738 cases filed since 2012.282 cases cleared and only 36 ended in conviction, The
case settlement rate is only 4%.24500 traffickers involved in in the cases and only 10500 traffickers
were arrested. Between 10500 traffickers 71 of them were convicted,

According to The business standard,

Md Babu from Naogaon was the first person to file a case under the Human Trafficking act on 7
April 2012, Even though the charge sheet of the case was submitted in court, the trail has not ended
even after nine years. The accused in the case is free on bail.

Hossain who escaped and returned to Bangladesh on 12 may filed a case Against 12 people at
Sitakundu police station. Police arrested four of the accused but they obtained bail within a month.

The rate of Human Trafficking continues to rise in Bangladesh amid the pandemic with at least 707
cases filed from January 2020 to march 2021.

other countries

California consistently has the high human trafficking rates in the United States with 1507 cases
reported in 2019.1118 cases were about sex trafficking and 158 cases were about labor trafficking
and 69 were both sex and labor trafficking.

Fariha:

the societal perspective

Victims encounter a number of atrocious events such as victimization and rape, which leave them
physically and mentally tortured. As a result, these folks are rendered invaluable in society (Nelson
et al., 2016).
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The impact on victims

Human trafficking is a crime that inflicts complex layers of trauma on victims and survivors.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for victims to be exploited by someone they know and love.
Oftentimes a trafficker is a family member, intimate partner, friend, or acquaintance. Victims of
human trafficking have often been robbed of their identities, had their self-esteem demolished, and
already experienced physical and psychological abuse before they became victims of human
traffickers.

Sex trafficking often involves the exploitation of victims by force, and the brutal nature of the
crime can cause complex mental health problems for victims

 high levels of trauma

 depression
 Anxiety
 PTSD
 Substance Use Disorder
 Stockholm Syndrome
 Sexually transmitted Infections
 self harm
 unsafe abortions
 fractures
 genital lacerations
 Malnutrition and dental problems

Victims endure high levels of trauma, and survivors show increased rates of depression, anxiety,
PTSD, and substance use disorders.

Victims may believe that the traffickers have their best interests in mind and develop significant
bonds with their traffickers, similar to Stockholm syndrome, and may be reluctant to escape.

A high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections has been reported in both men and women and
high rates of self-harm among adult victims of human trafficking.

Furthermore, because of the exposure to the violence and sexual assault linked to trafficking, child
victims have been found to be at higher risk of sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health
problems from unsafe abortions, fractures, genital lacerations, malnutrition, and dental problems.

Jerin:Legal framework on Human trafficking.

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights, which threatens
national security and undermines sustainable development and the rule of law, as recognized in the
Declaration of the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law.

The UN system offers practical help to States, to draft laws and create comprehensive national
anti-trafficking strategies and assist with resources to implement them. States receive specialized
assistance including the development of local capacity and expertise, as well as practical tools
to encourage cross-border cooperation in investigations and prosecutions. The adoption in 2000 by
the United Nations General Assembly of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, Especially Women and Children marked a significant milestone in international efforts
to stop the trade in people.

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Legal framework on anti-trafficking in Bangladesh consists of the constitutional provisions,
statues with direct implication to trafficking as well as certain complementary laws. Laws that
have direct and indirect bearing with the discourse of human trafficking are:

Constitutional Provisions Although none of the Constitutional provisions has defined the term
trafficking, the following provisions have direct and indirect bearing on trafficking:

Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh provides that state shall adopt effective
measures to prevent prostitution and gambling. By undertaking the responsibility to prevent
prostitution, Bangladesh Constitution has identified prostitution as an anti-social act.

extending free and compulsory education- Primary Education Act, 1990

Many counter-trafficking studies have identified lack of education as one of the major causes of
trafficking. The Constitution provides that state shall adopt effective measures for the purpose of
and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such stage as may be determined by
law. Pursuant to this provision Bangladesh Government has enacted the Primary Education Act,
1990 which obliges the parents to send their children to school.

protection of life and liberty of every person-Article 32

By incorporating the provision on protection of life and liberty of every person, the constitution has
provided a basis for legal framework to combat trafficking. ‘Life’ within the meaning of Article 32
of the Constitution means something more than mere animal existence. Right to life includes the
right to live consistently with human dignity and decency.

Article 34(1) -Right to be free from exploitation by explicitly prohibiting forced labor of any
form.

Article 34 (1) of the Constitution has guaranteed the right to be free from exploitation by explicitly
prohibiting forced labor of any form. Any act contravening to this provision is punishable as a
criminal offence. This provision has also laid a constitutional basis of counter trafficking legal
framework as it declares forced labor as a criminal offence against state.

Article 31-right to protection of law to every citizen wherever s/he may be. Article 31 of the
Constitution guarantees the right to protection of law to every citizen wherever s/he may be. The
same article also guarantees the protection of law to non-citizens who are for the time being within
Bangladesh.

Article 28 (4)- Special laws for women, children and backward section of people.

The Penal Code 1860,Section 364A

The Children Act, 1974 Section 41

The Prevention of Repression against Women and Children Act, 2000 Sections 5 and 6

creates the space for state to make special laws for women, children and backward section of
people. Women and children friendly special laws can help reduce human trafficking in
Bangladesh.

Specific Laws Related to Counter Trafficking • The Penal Code 1860 Section 364A of the Penal
Code provides that if any person kidnaps or abducts anyone under the age of 10 in order to subject
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such person to slavery or to the lust of any person shall be punished with death or with
imprisonment for life or with rigorous imprisonment up to 14 years. • The Children Act, 1974
Section 41 of the Act states that whoever allows a child over the age of four to reside in or
frequently to go to a brothel, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term extending up to two
years or fine or both. • The Prevention of Repression against Women and Children Act, 2000
Sections 5 and 6 of this Act deal with trafficking of women and children for prostitution and other
immoral purposes.

The roles of NGO’s and individuals.

Mehedi:In Bangladesh, many NGOs and women’s organizations, from the last decade, have
initiated interventions to prevent and eliminate prostitution as well as provide rehabilitation and
support services to sex-workers and their children. Such interventions include education, awareness
development, research and documentation, action programs, advocacy and media participation for
combating women and child trafficking.

UBINIG

the Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS)

Uttoron

Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC)

Various national NGOs like UBINIG, the Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS),
Uttoron, besides many others, are playing an important role in addressing the issue of trafficking.
Also there are regional networks like Action against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of
Children (ATSEC) playing an important role in addressing the issue through different collaborative
efforts.

rehabilitation and reintegration work

awareness raising

research and documentation

action programs

advocacy and media participation

investigation

rescue and rehabilitation programs

While at the national level, many NGOs are doing a lot of rehabilitation and reintegration work but
the extent of successful reintegration is limited. NGOs in Bangladesh are observed to be involved
in the following types of activities to combat the menace of trafficking. These are awareness
raising, research and documentation, action programs, advocacy and media participation,
investigation, rescue and rehabilitation programs for trafficked victims. Once they leave their
traffickers, survivors have a variety of immediate needs which includes ensuring safety; finding
medical care, food, shelter, clothing, and counseling; and acquiring identification, language
interpretation services, and legal and immigration assistance.

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anti-trafficking programs. In Bangladesh, many international NGOs have incorporated women
and children specific programs related specifically to addressing issues of trafficking in their
activities. These are: Save the Children Alliance, The Asia Foundation, Plan International, Action
Aid, etc. In addition, some major INGOs and donor organizations such as CIDA, DANIDA, SIDA,
OXFAM, , US AID, Trafficking Watch Bangladesh, etc. are involved in anti-trafficking programs.
Besides, UN Task Force in Bangladesh, UNAIDS in Bangladesh, Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNDP, UNICEF, UNIFEM Etc

At a webinar on combating Human Trafficking, Brac's Migration programme said that between
2012 and March this year, less than 1% of human trafficking cases ended in conviction.

Barsha: Are the govt’s actions enough?

laws are meaningless unless they are enforced. Although the number of laws prohibiting human
trafficking has increased globally, the number of human traffickers prosecuted has not. One would
think that with so much legislation enacted against human trafficking, the number of traffickers
convicted would rise. Right? Sadly, no. according to statistics,

GRAPH

Human trafficking is definitely still happening, so a low number of convictions suggests that these
countries aren’t doing much to stop trafficking within their borders.

corruption ✔️

lack of training and resources ✔️

Maintaining overall Law enforcement efforts ✔️

legal reporting mechanism ❌

Not providing victim services ❌

The Government of Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking but is making significant law enforcement efforts to do so. The government prosecuted
more traffickers for forced labor, expanded cooperation on transnational trafficking crimes, and
revoked the seat of a member of parliament following his conviction abroad for trafficking crimes,
but it convicted fewer traffickers and did not take adequate steps. The government remained
without a formal mechanism to refer trafficking victims to protective services and did not provide
adequate victim services. Factors like corruption and lack of training and resources make it difficult
to ensure that programs are effective. According to NGOs, some local politicians convinced victims
to accept payment from recruitment sub-agents to not report fraudulent or exploitative labor
recruitment actions to police. Other observers reported some police conducted slow and flawed
investigations to allow traffickers to evade punishment, including when suspects were fellow
officers.

In conclusion human trafficking is a vile and wicked crime, it is embarrassing to

mankind and a gross abuse of human rights. Trafficked persons usually have
physical, psychological and mental problems on every stage of trafficking
process, that’s why they need constant assistance and support from their
family, friends and society. because, in this beautiful world every individual

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deserves to be lived independently with love and affection and A small act of
care can help our world a better place for them.