Imrul Hossain for DOT
[2] Different coastal areas of Cox’s Bazar have made headlines again over human trafficking and the casualties. [3] Due to steps taken by various agencies, the human trafficking incidents in the sea came down after 2014. [4] However, the middlemen rackets have become active again following the influx of Rohingyas in 2017. [5] So far, 637 human trafficking cases have remained in Cox’s Bazar. [6] According to the law enforcing agencies, 28 incidents of human trafficking have been recorded from August 2017 till February of this year.
The lawyers said that it is difficult to ensure the presence of the witnesses in the human trafficking cases.
The government is going to set up seven special tribunals for speedy trials in human trafficking cases as Bangladesh faces risks of US sanctions for not doing enough in combatting the heinous crime.
The development comes after Bangladesh was ranked in Tier 2 Watch List for the last three consecutive years in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
Any country ranked in Tier 3 is subject to severe restrictions and even full curtailment of non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance as set forth in Section 110(d)(1) of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).