A multi-year effort to combat human trafficking in Bangladesh has formally concluded, with officials and development partners highlighting both its impact and the need for sustained national action.
The programme, led by Korea International Cooperation Agency in partnership with the International Organization for Migration, ended with a dissemination workshop held at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka on Wednesday.
The initiative, launched in 2020, aimed to strengthen prevention, protection and prosecution mechanisms related to human trafficking.
Speaking at the event, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, an additional secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Bangladesh remained "firmly committed" to tackling trafficking through stronger legal frameworks and coordinated institutional responses. The programme, he added, had made "meaningful contributions" to enhancing national capacity.
With a budget of $5.8m, the initiative trained more than 1,000 government officials, including law enforcement and border personnel, to better identify and prosecute trafficking cases. A further 2,600 stakeholders - including judges, prosecutors and law students - received training to apply the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act more effectively.
Organisers said the programme also focused on victim support, with all identified survivors in target districts receiving assistance. Around 1,000 victims were provided with improved protection services, while 300 received longer-term reintegration support. A dedicated "halfway home" facility was established in the border town of Benapole to support survivors.
Awareness campaigns linked to the programme reached more than one million people, reflecting what organisers described as a shift towards prevention alongside enforcement.
Jihoon Kim, KOICA's country director, emphasised the need for sustained collaboration. "Human trafficking remains a serious challenge that requires coordinated and continuous efforts," he said, pointing to the programme's "victim-centred approach" as a key achievement. Giuseppe Loprete, acting chief of mission at IOM, said the initiative underscored the importance of partnerships, adding that its results offered "a strong foundation" for future work.
Despite the progress, participants at the workshop warned that trafficking - often driven by irregular migration and economic vulnerability - remained a persistent threat in Bangladesh. They stressed that the gains made under the programme would need to be embedded within national systems to ensure long-term impact.
The programme's conclusion marks the end of a significant phase in international support, but officials signalled that the challenge now lies in maintaining momentum without external project frameworks.
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