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Cablegate: Bangladesh Annual Anti-Trafficking in Persons

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 DHAKA 000937

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, SA/RA, USAID, INL/CTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB BG USAID
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH ANNUAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
(TIP) REPORT


1. (U) This Anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report will
cover efforts by the Bangladesh Government (BDG) during the
time period from March 2004-March 2005. Embassy point of
contact is Political Officer Charlene Wang, telephone number
880-2-885-5500 extension 2148, IVG post-code Dhaka #583, fax
number 880-2-882-3744, email address wangcs@state.gov

2. (SBU) Overview of the country's activities to eliminate
trafficking in persons:

A. Bangladesh is a country of origin and transit for women
and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual
exploitation, involuntary domestic servitude, and debt
bondage. Women and children from Bangladesh are trafficked to
India, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab
Emirates (U.A.E.). A small number of women and girls are
trafficked through Bangladesh from Burma to India.
Bangladeshi boys are also trafficked into the U.A.E. and
Qatar and forced to work as camel jockeys and beggars. Women
and children from rural areas in Bangladesh are trafficked to
urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic
work. In an isolated and fairly inaccessible part of
southwest Bangladesh known as, Dublar Char, a number of young
boys are lured into foced servitude in the seasonal fish
drying industry.

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B. Women and children in Bangladesh are trafficked from both
urban and rural areas, predominantly from the border regions.
There is internal trafficking to urban centers as well as to
other countries in the region, e.g. India and the Middle
East, especially Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai.

C. There have been no discernible changes in the direction or
extent of trafficking.

D. In February 2004, the Ministry of Women and Children
Affairs released a comprehensive study, done in collaboration
with the Norwegian Government through NORAD, International
Organzation for Migration, and NGO,s, on &The Counter
Trafficking Framework Report: Bangladesh Perspective.8

E. Bangladesh is not a significant destination point for TIP
victims.

F. Traffickers target poor women and children, migrants,
ethnic minorities, disaster victims, runaways, those with
little education, those from broken homes, and women who are
divorced, separated, or widowed. Traffickers frequently trick
victims with a promise of a good job or a marriage proposal.
Sometimes relatives or neighbors sell a person. Abduction is
less common, but it does occur. Bangladesh has porous
borders with India, and therefore it is not always necessary
to produce official documents when moving victims.
Nonetheless, there have been instances where traffickers were
stopped at the airport attempting to smuggle children out of
the country with false passports, claiming they were the
victim's parents or posing as a victim,s husband.

G. There is strong political will at the highest level of
government to combat trafficking in persons. The government
has made a good faith effort to attack trafficking with the
newly-formed inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee,
which meets monthly, and the police anti-trafficking
monitoring cell. A willingness to take action against
government officials linked to TIP has also been
demonstrated. Since June, there have been three court cases
related to the complicity of 11 government officials. In
terms of prevention, the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking
committee has devised a multi-faceted awareness building
campaign which the Ministry of Information is executing
through national television and radio. The Ministry of
Religious Affairs conducts training sessions and awareness
talks for religious teachers, and the Bangladesh Rifles
(Border Patrol) has integrated TIP awareness curriculum into
their training center.

In the area of protection, the government cooperates closely
with a number of NGOs that aid trafficking victims. The
Secretary for Home Affairs, along with selected members of

SIPDIS
the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee, meets with
leaders from anti-trafficking NGO,s monthly. In the past
year, 21 trafficking victims rescued by Bangladesh security
forces were turned over to NGO-run shelters. The government
also runs several safe homes where trafficking victims can
also stay. In the past year, the government has concentrated
on the prosecution of trafficking cases. A Deputy Attorney
General coordinates the government effort to monitor chosen
batches of trafficking cases to ensure efficient trial and
disposal. Since last June 61 cases have been processed
through this oversight. Each district also has a
multi-sectored anti-TIP committee headed by the local deputy
commissioner along with anti-trafficking committees at the
Union, Upazilla, Parishad, and City Corporation levels. The
newly formed anti-trafficking police monitoring cell not only
compiles statistics and data regarding trafficking cases and
victims, it helps produce witnesses for the appropriate cases.

In addition to the central monitoring cell at the police
headquarters in Dhaka, there are also 64 district level
monitoring cells throughout the country. Additionally,
Bangladesh took the initiative to introduce the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on
Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children
for Prostitution to the SAARC Countries in 1997. SAARC member
countries signed the convention January 5, 2002, but have yet
to ratify the convention.

H. An undetermined number of authorities who come in contact
with trafficking such as border guards and immigration
officials are believed to have taken bribes from traffickers,
usually in the context of facilitating illegal crossings not
explicitly to help smuggle trafficking victims. Since June
2004, there have been three cases involving 11 government
officials charged with document fraud to facilitate
trafficking from passport offices and the Bureau of Manpower
and Employment.

I. Limitations of the government,s ability to address this
problem at the local level are varied. Funding, training, and
equipment for the police are woefully inadequate. The
judicial system is hampered with a court backlog of about one
million cases. One of the largest obstacles in addressing
trafficking, however, is Bangladesh,s general problem of
rampant and endemic corruption that affects police,
prosecutors, local officials, and judges which in turn allows
perpetrators to escape justice. Poor governance in general,
coupled with high crime rates, plagues the Bangladeshi
criminal justice system. On the whole, the government lacks
the resources to aid victims comprehensively.

J. Since June 2004, the government has begun to monitor
systematically its anti-trafficking efforts in prosecution,
prevention, and victim protection through data collection of
the anti-trafficking police monitoring cell. These statistics
are made available publicly and directly, and are widely
shared with NGOs and others on a monthly basis.

K. Prostitution is decriminalized in Bangladesh. The
punishment for pimps is from 10 years imprisonment to life.
The legal minimum age for prostitution is 18.

3. (SBU) Prevention:

A. Yes, the national government acknowledges that trafficking
is a problem in Bangladesh, although it blames much of the
problem on the Indian market's demand for trafficked women.

B. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs,
numerous government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking
efforts including: the Prime Minister,s Office, Ministry of
Women and Children,s Affairs (MOWCA), Ministry of Law,
Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Social
Welfare, Ministry of Labor and Employment, NGO Affairs
Bureau, Department of Local Government, Ministry of Religious
Affairs, Ministry of Education, Civil Aviation Authority,
Department of Immigration and Passports, ANSAR, Bangladesh
Rifles (Border Patrol), Coast Guard, and the police.

C. The government is implementing an extensive
anti-trafficking public information educational campaign. The
campaign involves many ministries. The government-run
national TV channel has aired a program with questions and
answers about the trafficking situation in Bangladesh,
another show where the laws and punishments were broadcast,
and a short film that was intended to show the social impact
of trafficking. State-owned radio devotes airtime to
awareness on trafficking, including small dramas. The
Ministry of Religious Affairs conducts training sessions and
awareness raising talks for religious teachers for
dissemination to their congregations, and the Bangladesh
Rifles (Border Patrol) has integrated TIP awareness
curriculum into their training center. The Ministry of Women
and Children's Affairs has continued its program of "road
marches" for awareness raising.

D. The government gives stipends to girls attending secondary
schools outside metropolitan areas, which increases female
enrollment and reduces dropout rates.

E. The government is supportive of prevention programs and
actively participates in workshops, meetings, and awareness
campaigns, but most funding comes from donors. The
government normally defers to NGOs for implementation.

F. The government cooperates with NGOs and civil society
groups that fight trafficking. The government bodies
dedicated to anti-trafficking efforts meet regularly with
NGOs and routinely refer trafficking victims to shelters run
by NGOs. NGO activists report greatly enhanced cooperation
in 2004 from local and national officials.

G. The government does not adequately monitor its borders.
The number of guards patrolling the borders is insufficient,
and corruption is a problem. We are not aware of any BDG
policy or plan to monitor immigration and emigration patterns
for evidence of trafficking.

H. There are two government mechanisms for coordination and
communication between various agencies: the inter-ministerial
trafficking in persons committee at both the national and
district levels which involves NGOs along with government
agencies, and the Bangladesh Counter Trafficking Thematic
Group, which is organized and run by NGOs and donor agencies
and includes government participation. A newly formed
Anti-Corruption Commission has a legal mandate to investigate
and prosecute corruption; however, it has serious internal
problems and its ultimate impact is problematic.

I. Although not in force, the government introduced an
anti-trafficking convention for the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It also signed
international instruments that can be used to combat
trafficking including: CEDAW, Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC), Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Sale of
Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the
ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.

J. The government does not have a national plan of action to
address specifically trafficking in persons; however, it has
adopted a National Plan of Action Against Sexual Abuse and
Exploitation of Children, which includes trafficking, that
the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs developed in 2002.
Additionally, the government has outlined a short-term plan
to focus on reducing the court case backlog in their effort
to combat trafficking in persons.

K. Since June 2004, the Secretary of Home Affairs, one of the
government,s most senior civil servants, has assumed the
main leadership position in developing anti-trafficking
programs within the government.

4. (SBU) Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers:

A. The Repression of Women and Children Prevention Act 2000
includes strict penalties, including life imprisonment or the
death penalty for those convicted of trafficking for both
sexual exploitation and non-sexual purposes. This law
includes both internal and transnational forms of
trafficking. Other laws related to trafficking include the
Penal Code, the Child Marriage Restraint Act, the Children
Pledging and Labor Act, and the Suppression of Immoral
Traffic Act. Trafficking related cases are tried in Special
Tribunals created under the Repression of Women and Children
Prevention Act. Besides the ability to try trafficking
perpetrators in other countries which South Asian countries
are trying to coordinate through South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and increased regional
cooperation, these laws adequately cover the full scope of
trafficking in persons.

B. Punitive sentences for trafficking are severe, ranging
from 20 years imprisonment to life imprisonment or the death
penalty. Since June 2004, 14 people have been given the death
sentence and 43 have been given life imprisonment for
trafficking.

C. Penalities for rape or forcible sexual assault range from
seven years in prison to life or death, depending on the
nature of the case. The BDG has sentenced those convicted of
trafficking to life imprisonment and death.

D. The government has prosecuted a total of 70 cases since
June 2004, with 46 cases ending in convictions. Of those 46
cases, 14 people have been given the death sentence and 59
have been given life imprisonment. There are 21 cases under
investigation but this number is constantly changing.
Convicted traffickers do serve time.

E. Because of the clandestine nature of trafficking, it is
difficult to identify and track the organized networks
involved or where profits from trafficking are channeled to.
Expert sources confirm reports of organized trafficking
networks, but the scope of the networks is not clear. Travel
agencies, employment agencies, marriage brokers, and
opportunists have all been cited as engaging in trafficking.
There is anecdotal evidence connecting traffickers to rings
that smuggle goods from India to Bangladesh. Traffickers,
however, do not appear to have the clout or the resources to
obstruct the government,s anti-TIP actions at the national
level.

F. The government actively investigates cases of trafficking.
However, the police are understaffed, undertrained, and lack
the necessary resources to carry out professional
investigations or stage elaborate undercover operations. The
police do not have the technical capacity to use special
investigative techniques, such as electronic surveillance.
There are no laws prohibiting covert operations, and there is
room in the law for mitigated punishment for cooperating
suspects. Since June 2004 the Coast Guard has rescued over
161 boys from their forced servitude in the fish drying
industry in Dublar Char.

G. Besides the integrated curriculum in the BDR training
center, all specialized training for government officials
regarding trafficking is done through NGOs.

H. While the BDG does not systematically coordinate with
other governments in the investigation and prosecution of
trafficking cases, it does coordinate rescue and repatriation
efforts. It states that the Indian government is unresponsive
to requests for cooperation on trafficking cases.

I. The BDG has not extradited persons who are charged with
trafficking in other countries. There is no constitutional
provision that prohibits the extradition of Bangladeshi
nationals.

J. There is no evidence that the BDG is involved in or is
tolerant of trafficking at the local or institutional level.

K. There have been three cases against 11 government
officials for involvement in trafficking-related corruption.
None have been convicted yet as the trials are still pending.

L. N/A

M. In 1972, the BDG ratified ILO Convention 29 and 105
regarding forced labor. In 1989, it signed the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), and in 2001 it ratified ILO
Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate
action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor.
The government has not signed the Protocol to Prevent,
Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women
and Children, supplementing the UN Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime.

5. (SBU) Protection and Assistance to Victims

A. The government supports a one-stop crisis center in two
medical college hospitals that provides legal (through
Bangladesh National Womens Laywer's Association (BNWLA)),
medical, and psychological (through Naripoko) services to
victims. Primarily, however, the government works closely
with NGOs that provide shelter and access to legal, medical,
and psychological services for victims. Since June 2004, the
government has returned 123 victims to their guardians,
brought 21 to NGO run safe homes, and transferred 11 to
government run safe homes. Because Bangladesh is a source
country and not a destination country for trafficking
victims, there is no need for residency status or relief from
deportation.

B. The government is not directly funding any NGOs for
services to victims, but has involved and coordinated their
efforts for victim services with NGOs.

C. There is not a formal referral process to transfer victims
detained, arrested, or placed in protective custody by law
enforcement authorities to NGOs that provide short or long
term care. However, in practice the courts regularly refer
victims to NGO shelter homes. Even though in theory no victim
should be sent to jail but instead placed in safe custody
before being transferred to NGO shelter care or returned to
guardian custody, sometimes the lack of police resources or
facilities results in victims being kept where criminals are
housed. Generally, the rights of victims are respected and,
as a matter of policy and law, they are not detained, jailed,
deported, or prosecuted for violations of immigration or
prostitution laws.

D. Various NGOs, including Bangladesh National Women's
Laywer's Association (BNWLA), rather than the government,
encourage and assist victims in filing civil suits and
seeking legal action against traffickers. Victims can file
civil suits against traffickers but it has not happened yet.
If a victim is a material witness in a court case against the
former employer, there is no legislation preventing the
victim to obtain other employment or to leave the country.
There is no victim restitution program.

E. The government does not have a witness protection program.
Various NGOs provide specialized training for government
officials on how to provide assistance to trafficked victims,
including the special needs of trafficked children.

F. Mostly NGOs provide specialized training for government
officials in recognizing trafficking and in providing
assistance to trafficked victims, though the Bangladesh
Rifles has begun to develop and offer its own specialized
training. The government does not provide training on
protection and assistance to its embassies and consulates in
countries that are destination or transit countries.
Recently, however, it agreed to start such a training program
through a NGO. The BDG facilitates linkages between
Bangladeshi embassies and Bangladeshi NGOs on repatriation
cases.

G. The BDG cooperates closely with NGOs that provide medical,
financial, shelter, and other services to repatriated victims
of trafficking.

H. The Bangladesh National Women,s Lawyers Association
(BNWLA), Association for Community Development (ACD), Ahsania
Mission, Rights Jessore, and Saviour Jessore provide shelter,
food, education, vocational training, medical support, and
counseling to trafficking victims. The BDG is very
cooperative with these NGOs.

THOMAS

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