Combating human trafficking will require “trust” among nations, professor says

In a recent United Nations interview, Bangladeshi professor Zakir Hossain said that “meaningful collaborative effort” among South Asian countries will require trust, indicating that with instances of cross-border trafficking, countries should not blame each other.Instead, constructive dialogue will be needed to increase prevention, rescue, and prosecution efforts, as well as the repatriation of victims involved. Hossain, a professor of the University of Chitagong and member of the Judicial Service Commission for People’s Republic of Bangladesh,met with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to discuss the SouthAsian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) training on combating human trafficking for law enforcement officers. In the United Nations report, Hossain referred to human trafficking as “modern-day slavery,” defining it not as a Bangladeshi problembut a problem requiring global response. In Bangladesh, human trafficking leads to sexual exploitation, forced prostitution and domestic servitude, he said. Hossain estimated that over 1 million women and childrenwere trafficked out of Bangladesh over the past 30 years, and cited a UNICEFreport estimating that about 400 women and children become victims of trafficking each month. He also said that a Pakistan-based group called Lawyersfor Human Rights and Legal Aid estimates that about 200,000 young women and girls from Bangladesh were sold in Pakistan in one year. The interview quotes Hossain as describing the key factors contributing to human trafficking in Bangladesh as poverty, social exclusion,gender discrimination, widespread illiteracy, lack of awareness and poorgovernance. For the full interview, visit http://www.unodc.org/india/en/interview-with-prof.-zakir-hossain.html.