GLO.ACT-Bangladesh Strengthens National Efforts with Consultation on Comprehensive Trafficking in Persons Data Collection System

The First National Study on Trafficking in Persons in Bangladesh has identified opportunities for improving data collection and analysis on trafficking in persons (TIP) in the country by leveraging existing reporting structures. Building upon the policy recommendation to establish a national reporting system on TIP, UNODC, under the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants-Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh) project, collaborated with the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs to organize a national consultation workshop on data collection for the annual country report on human trafficking in Bangladesh on 8 June 2023.

The objective of the consultation was to take inputs from relevant stakeholders to develop a web-based data collection mechanism which can support in developing an analytical country report on human trafficking. Khairul Alam Shiekh, Additional Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs & GLO.ACT-Bangladesh project director, and Ishita Rony, Deputy Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs & GLO.ACT-Bangladesh Deputy Project Director joined the consultation as the chief guest and chairperson respectively.

On behalf of UNODC, Marco Teixeira, Regional Representative of UNODC South Asia, extended a warm welcome to the Government of Bangladesh for their efforts in developing a comprehensive reporting mechanism on TIP. He urged all participants to maximize the utilization of relevant UNODC research papers, policy briefs, and the 2022 UNODC Global Report on TIP (GLOTIP report).

During the substantive sessions, the findings of the GLOTIP report and the first National Study on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in Bangladesh were shared, along with the proposed national database on human trafficking and a draft template for data collection. Subsequently, the participants actively participated in dedicated group discussions focused on policy guidelines, content, data sources and needs, and tools for the proposed national database. The following suggestions emerged from the group presentations:

• The annual country report should incorporate the national plan of action on human trafficking progress, along with a year-on-year comparative analysis. It can also be aligned with global data, which will be instrumental in identifying trends in TIP and informing policymakers about the next steps to be taken.
• The Anti-Human Trafficking Authority is recommended to serve as the custodian of the database, with support from the Public Security Division in coordinating the data collection mechanism.
• A data collection committee can be established to provide support throughout the process and determine procedures for data preservation, data dissemination, and data validation.
• Evaluate the possibility of employing data entry officers in relevant field offices and consider including a police focal point within the data collection committee or the Anti-Human Trafficking Authority. This will facilitate the gathering of information from relevant law enforcement agencies.
• It is recommended to enhance the tools by incorporating additional monitoring, evaluation, and learning parameters. This will enable the analysis of intervention impacts and aid in the development of appropriate materials. Additionally, organizing orientation trainings for reporting officers on the data collection tools is advised.

In her closing remarks, Chairperson Ishita Rony expressed appreciation to the attendees for their comprehensive recommendations. As the next step, a strategy paper will be developed, incorporating the findings of the consultation. This paper will serve as the basis for subsequent actions in the development of the TIP database.

32 participants (5 female, 27 male) from different government ministries and agencies, UN agencies and CSOs joined the consultation workshop.

To know more about UNODC GLO.ACT-Bangladesh, please visit -

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act3/index.html