A National Referral Mechanism (NRM) framework was launched on Tuesday to protect and assist victims of human trafficking.
NRM is a dynamic framework that involves a multi-disciplinary group of government and non-governmental actors within a system guided by protocols, forms, tools, guidelines, and principles.
It will be operationalized under the direct management of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Authority, with the leadership of the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
A Switzerland supported project- the Ashshash- has provided technical assistance to the ministry in developing this document of the framework.
Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Secretary of the Public Security Division, alone with other guests launched the framework. He was the Chief Guest at an event in the city.
"As mandated by the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, 2012, the government has undertaken numerous initiatives to combat human trafficking, such as establishing special tribunals and partnerships with various CSOs and NGOs to develop the framework," he said.
These initiatives highlight the need for social and economic reintegration and empowerment of the survivors, he added.
Dipta Rakshit, Country Representative of Winrock International and Project Director at Winrock International - Ashshash, shared details of the framework in his presentation.
"The Ashshash project, supported by Switzerland and implemented by Winrock International, will vow to remain fully engaged throughout this collaborative process of implementation and operationalization, alongside all other key organizations," he added.
Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Head of Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, said that in the spirit of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and to leave no one behind, the NRM is a commendable step forward in achieving the global commitment to a world free of forced labor and human trafficking.
The next stage of development mandates the operationalization of the framework, she said.
Md. Ruhul Amin, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare & Overseas Employment, Md. Khairul Alam Sheikh, Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare, and Alena J. Tansey, Director of the Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance at USAID in Bangladesh, were present at the event as special guests. They also addressed at the event.
The experience of government organizations and NGOs over the last two decades has revealed the need for a comprehensive one-stop-service mechanism to effectively deliver, follow up, and monitor the protection and care services for the victims of human trafficking, said speakers. A K M Tipu Sultan, Additional Secretary of the Public Security Division at the Ministry of Home Affairs, chaired the launching ceremony.
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