UNODC Facilitates Inaugural Workshop on Border Management Assessment to Counter Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling

Globally long and porous borders are conducive to the international transfer of trafficking victims and smuggled migrants. The 2022 UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons found that people of all genders and age groups especially women are at risk of cross-border trafficking. To address border management responding to trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), dedicated research and analysis are required to ensure interventions are aligned with the national laws and Government priorities.

The First National Study on Trafficking in Persons in Bangladesh recommended implementing crime prevention measures to identify risk factors of TIP and SOM which includes cross-border response. In light of this context, UNODC under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants-Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh) organized a workshop on the scope of assessment on border management to address TIP and SOM on 18 October 2023.

The workshop was opened by Ishita Rony, Deputy Secretary of the Public Security Division of Ministry of Home Affairs and Deputy Project Director of GLO.ACT-Bangladesh. She provided an overview of the initiatives of the Government of Bangladesh responding to TIP and commented, “A strong border management strategy serves as the first line of defense in preventing these crimes by identifying and intercepting potential victims and perpetrators.”

Welcome remarks from UNODC and IOM were provided by Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Coordinator of UNODC, and Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Officer-in-Charge of IOM Bangladesh respectively. Focusing on group discussion, the workshop aimed to collect and collate information on border management to address TIP and SOM. The participants were divided into four groups with mixed participation.

The groups engaged in different thematic areas including existing institutional and legal framework, stakeholder analysis, TIP and SOM by sea, and capacity-building needs and priorities. The group discussion was followed by presentations from each group. During the presentation, the participants were able to share their inputs in a structured manner with the help of guided questionnaires. Afterwards Ms Rony concluded the workshop by thanking all the participants for their extensive insights and recommendations. As the next step, the responses gathered from the workshop and the compilation will serve as the foundation of the assessment report on border management to address TIP and SOM in Bangladesh.

39 participants (10 female, 29 male) from different ministries, branches of Police, border agencies and UN agencies joined the workshop.

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

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