Rights monitor
Bangladesh increases criminal prosecutions of human traffickers
Bangladesh is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation.
Children both girls and boys are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labour, and other forms of forced labour. Estimates from UNICEF and other sources since 2004 suggest that between 10,000 and 29,000 children are exploited in prostitution in Bangladesh. Some children are sold into bondage by their parents, while others are coerced into labour or commercial sexual exploitation through fraud and physical coercion. Women and children from Bangladesh are also trafficked to India and Pakistan for sexual exploitation. Women typically work as domestic servants; some find themselves in situations of forced labour when faced with restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Some Bangladeshi women working abroad are subsequently trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. Bangladeshi adults are also trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and bonded labour. Some Burmese women who are trafficked to India transit through Bangladesh. Bangladesh does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.
The number of criminal prosecutions for sex trafficking offences increased significantly from last year, and convicted traffickers received significant jail sentences; at the same time, however, there was a notable decrease in the number of convictions achieved. The government shut down some labour recruitment agencies, and initiated criminal enforcement of laws overseeing migrant labour recruitment. However, no prosecutions for these arrests were completed in 2007. Areas of continued concern include the need for increased measures to protect expatriate labourers against forced labour, and increased action against internal bonded labour and forced child labour. In addition, the absolute number of victims of trafficking is large.
Recommendations for Bangladesh: Significantly increase criminal prosecutions and punishments for all forms of labour trafficking, including those that involve fraudulent recruiting and forced child labour; improve criminal law enforcement efforts against and punishment of government complicity in trafficking; and provide protection services for adult male trafficking victims and victims of forced labour.
The Government of Bangladesh made uneven efforts to punish trafficking offences during the reporting period. The government prohibits the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or involuntary servitude under the Repression of Women and Children Act of 2000 (amended in 2003), and prohibits the selling and buying of a minor under age 18 for prostitution in Articles 372 and 373 of the penal code. Article 374 of Bangladesh's penal code prohibits forced labour, but the prescribed penalties of imprisonment for up to one year or a fine are not sufficiently stringent to deter the offence. Prescribed penalties for sex trafficking are commensurate with those for other grave crimes, such as rape. Bangladesh lacks laws criminalising the trafficking of adult males for commercial sexual exploitation. Government efforts to criminally address labour forms of trafficking improved in some areas, but remained poor in the areas of bonded labour and forced child labour. Bangladesh shut down five recruitment agencies and initiated four criminal prosecutions against labour recruitment firms. The government arrested 76 individuals, started 19 investigations, and initiated 34 prosecutions for recruitment fraud. These cases are still under investigation or trial; thus, there were no related convictions during the reporting year. During the reporting period, the government opened 123 investigations, made 106 arrests, and initiated 101 prosecutions of sex trafficking offences. Nonetheless, the government reported 20 trafficking convictions this year 23 fewer than last year. Due to the length of court cases, many are resolved through illegal out-of-court settlements between victims and traffickers. Life imprisonment sentences were imposed on 18 of the convicted traffickers and the remaining two convicted traffickers received sentences of 14 and 10 years' imprisonment. Authorities conducted 20 investigations into government complicity in trafficking; no government officials, however, were prosecuted, convicted, or punished for complicity in trafficking due to a lack of sufficient evidence. There was no evidence that Bangladeshi peacekeeping officers were complicit in sexual exploitation.
This is the abridged version of the report. For full report please visit: http://www.state.gov/documents/ organization/ 105501.pdf.
