USAID partners with Bangladesh to combat human trafficking

Designating Bangladesh as a Tier 2 Watch List country for the third consecutive year, the US has reiterated its commitment in helping Bangladesh implement its National Plan of Action to stop human trafficking.

As part of these efforts, Bangladesh's Counter Trafficking in Persons (BC/TIP), has invested more than $8 million to support shelter homes and judicial sector capacity building.

The US's international development agency USAID, along with BC/TIP, partnered with the Forensic Training Institute of Bangladesh CID, to sponsor a five-day anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) investigation skills training from October 27 to 31. 

The programme developed a training curriculum on how to best handle and investigate TIP cases. This was the third anti-human trafficking investigation course held since August of this year, with 23 police officers from 20 trafficking-prone districts actively participating.

At the closing ceremony of the training, chief guest Derrick Brown, director of USAID Bangladesh Mission, reaffirmed the US's commitment to working with Bangladesh to combat human trafficking, adding that, "Putting more traffickers behind bars will give hope to vulnerable groups at risk and send a strong warning to would-be traffickers."

As Bangladesh continues to be a source, transit, and destination country for people subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, this jointly sponsored training is intended to improve investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases to enhance the country's efforts to confront human trafficking. It is one of many initiatives of the US Embassy in Bangladesh to support the government's efforts to protect vulnerable populations.

USAID has provided more than $7 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since 1971.  In 2018, USAID provided nearly $219 million to expand economic opportunity, improve health and education, promote democratic institutions and practices, protect the environment, and increase resiliency to climate change.