Human trafficking status in Bangladesh got worse as the country failed to step up its efforts to eliminate human trafficking, according to the US Human Trafficking Report 2017.

Bangladesh was downgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List as its government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the US State Department said in its annual report on human trafficking released yesterday.

Bangladesh government demonstrated significant efforts during the reporting period by finalising and adopting the implementing rules for the 2012 Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act (PSHTA) in January 2017 and drafting an implementation roadmap for the 2015-2017 national action plan, the report read.

However, the government did not demonstrate increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period, it added.

The US State Department in the report observed that Bangladesh government’s investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of trafficking crimes decreased during the reporting period.

While official complicity in trafficking crimes remained a serious problem, the government did not make efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict allegedly complicit law enforcement, border, and manpower officials, according to the report.

The number of victims identified by the government has also decreased as the government remained without a formal mechanism to refer trafficking victims to protection services, which, when acquired, failed to rehabilitate the victims as per their specific needs and were not provided for adult male victims. NGOs also reported that victims were frequently re-trafficked due to insufficient care.

While the government maintained labor export agreements with several countries that aim to tackle recruitment fees, its continued allowance of high recruitment fees combined with insufficient efforts to address illegally operating recruitment sub-agents left workers vulnerable to trafficking, the report added.

Recommendations for Bangladesh

The US State Department in the report recommended the Bangladesh government to take steps to eliminate all recruitment fees charged to workers by licensed labor recruiters and instead ensure they are paid by employers.

It also suggested for increase in prosecutions and convictions, particularly of labor traffickers and fraudulent labor recruiters, and establish guidelines for provision of adequate victim care as per standard operating procedures.

The report recommended thorough investigation into credible allegations of government complicity in trafficking, and prosecution of officials who are suspected of being complicit.

Among other recommendations, the report also suggested enhancing the training provided to officials, including law enforcement, labor inspectors, and immigration officers, on methods to identify trafficking cases and refer victims to protection services, and expand the support services available to victims, including adult male victims, within Bangladesh and at Bangladesh’s embassies abroad