Economic protection necessary to prevent human trafficking: Speakers
They also called for eradicating child labour, ensuring safe migration and creating employment for youths as part of anti-trafficking activities
Civil society activists have stressed the importance of ensuring social and economic protection to vulnerable people, especially the poor, to prevent human trafficking.
They made the remark at an opinion exchange meeting titled "Progress of the NPA's Implementation and Submission of Regular Report" at the YWCA auditorium in Mohammadpur in the capital on Wednesday, read a press release.
To combat the heinous act, the National Plan of Action (NPA) 2018-22 on the prevention of human trafficking stipulates that people must have access to economic and social safety net programmes, they added.
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The NPA also called for making an effective system for its supervision, evaluation and regular submission of reports on its implementation to the Home Ministry, speakers continued.
Community Participation and Development (CPD), a consortium member of the Prevention of Child Trafficking through Strengthening Community and Networking (PCTSCN), organised the programme.
Md Rafiqual Islam Khan Alom, coordinator at the PCTSCN Secretariat, INCIDIN Bangladesh, said the overall situation of trafficking can be determined and necessary steps can be taken to address the problems through evaluation. Hence, evaluation is necessary to combat the crime.
Terming trafficking a national problem, he called for steps for proper evaluation of the NPA and regular submission of its report to the ministry in the interest of eradicating the problem.
Speakers also called for eradicating child labour, ensuring safe migration and creating scope to employment for youths through providing training on skill development as part of anti-trafficking activities.
Department of Social Services additional director (Institution) Md Shahidul Islam was the chief guest at the programme with Bangladesh Rural Economic Development (BRED) executive director Shahidul Islam in the chair.
CPD executive director Moslema Bari, INCIDIN Bangladesh executive director and chair PCTSCN consortium AKM Masud Ali and National Human Rights Commission Bangladesh deputy director Rabiul Islam also spoke at the event.
