US places BD in second worst category on human trafficking
Friday, 18 June 2010
Mashiur Rahaman
The United States has placed Bangladesh in second worst category on human trafficking for the second consecutive year, accusing that the country has not done enough to check labour trafficking.
"Bangladesh does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," said the US State Department in its 10th annual Trafficking in Persons Report released this week.
But the government did not demonstrate evidence of increased efforts to prosecute and convict labour trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for the fraudulent recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to engage them as forced labours abroad, the report claimed.
It also added that The Bangladesh Government did not try sincerely to effectively control high recruitment fees and other forms of fraudulent overseas recruitment.
"Therefore, Bangladesh is placed on Tier-2 Watch List for the second consecutive year," the report mentioned which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally presented this week.
Largely denying the report, government officials from the foreign ministry and ministry of expatriate welfare termed it- feed-up by NGO's.
In response to the TIP report of 2009, Bangladesh government has already submitted a work-plan to the local US embassy, aiming to upgrade its status. But the 'Trafficking in Persons Report 2010' did not even mention or took that into consideration while compiling the report, government office source said requesting anonymity.
Besides, the government has already finalized an Anti-trafficking law for workers in overseas countries in particular, he said expressing disappointment that the TIP report for this year have ignored such a vital initiative of the government.
"All the report has mentioned repeatedly is what some anonymous NGO's have discovered or complained, largely ignoring what we (the government) have done so far, the official said adding that Bangladesh Government might respond to the TIP-2010 report expressing discontent very soon.
Other than Bangladesh, there were 58 countries across the globe that has been placed in the Tire-2 Watch List. The list also includes India, Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka from South Asia.
Tire-2 Watch List labels countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA's (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
The TIP -2010 report also said that Dhaka failed to take adequate efforts to prevent the forced labour of Bangladeshis abroad and at home, and made modest efforts to prevent women trafficking over the reporting period.
During the reporting period, the BMET reportedly shut down one recruiting agency, cancelled the licences and confiscated the security deposit money of six agencies for their involvement in fraudulent practices that potentially facilitated human trafficking.
The United States has placed Bangladesh in second worst category on human trafficking for the second consecutive year, accusing that the country has not done enough to check labour trafficking.
"Bangladesh does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," said the US State Department in its 10th annual Trafficking in Persons Report released this week.
But the government did not demonstrate evidence of increased efforts to prosecute and convict labour trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for the fraudulent recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to engage them as forced labours abroad, the report claimed.
It also added that The Bangladesh Government did not try sincerely to effectively control high recruitment fees and other forms of fraudulent overseas recruitment.
"Therefore, Bangladesh is placed on Tier-2 Watch List for the second consecutive year," the report mentioned which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally presented this week.
Largely denying the report, government officials from the foreign ministry and ministry of expatriate welfare termed it- feed-up by NGO's.
In response to the TIP report of 2009, Bangladesh government has already submitted a work-plan to the local US embassy, aiming to upgrade its status. But the 'Trafficking in Persons Report 2010' did not even mention or took that into consideration while compiling the report, government office source said requesting anonymity.
Besides, the government has already finalized an Anti-trafficking law for workers in overseas countries in particular, he said expressing disappointment that the TIP report for this year have ignored such a vital initiative of the government.
"All the report has mentioned repeatedly is what some anonymous NGO's have discovered or complained, largely ignoring what we (the government) have done so far, the official said adding that Bangladesh Government might respond to the TIP-2010 report expressing discontent very soon.
Other than Bangladesh, there were 58 countries across the globe that has been placed in the Tire-2 Watch List. The list also includes India, Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka from South Asia.
Tire-2 Watch List labels countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA's (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
The TIP -2010 report also said that Dhaka failed to take adequate efforts to prevent the forced labour of Bangladeshis abroad and at home, and made modest efforts to prevent women trafficking over the reporting period.
During the reporting period, the BMET reportedly shut down one recruiting agency, cancelled the licences and confiscated the security deposit money of six agencies for their involvement in fraudulent practices that potentially facilitated human trafficking.