US for prosecuting fraudulent B'deshi manpower agents

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The United States has strongly recommended Bangladesh to criminally prosecute the unscrupulous manpower agents responsible for the hardship of expatriate Bangladeshi workers, reports UNB.

This was stated in the 'Trafficking in Persons Report 2008', released in Washington by the US Department of State Wednesday, said a Bangladesh Embassy press release.

The report suggested Bangladesh to significantly increase criminal prosecutions and punishments for all forms of labour trafficking, including those that involve fraudulent recruiting and forced child labour, improve criminal law-enforcement efforts against and punishment of government complicity in trafficking, and provide protection services for adult male trafficking victims and victims of forced labour.

The report also acknowledged the positive initiatives of Bangladesh Government to tackle the trafficking in persons.

"The government reported efforts to prevent trafficking through memorandum of understanding with destination countries addressing the countries' labour laws, requirements for labour contracts, and mechanism for labour flows," it said.

The report also lauded Bangladesh for the investigations, arrests and criminal prosecution of sex-trafficking offenders, the government's awareness campaign against trafficking in persons, and acknowledges Bangladesh government's initiative to train the country's peace-keepers on trafficking prior to their deployment.

It has also placed Bangladesh in tier-2 along with the Asian developed countries like Japan and Singapore.