USAID's Response: Trafficking in Persons

USAID supports local and international non-government organizations (NGOs) to put a halt to human trafficking, women and children, in particular. Our efforts in anti-trafficking are built on five basic pillars.

1. Targeted Research: USAID supports several local NGOs to hold community sensitization meetings with locally elected government representatives, school students, their teachers and parents.  USAID-supported nationwide media campaign through television and radio addressed various aspects of trafficking and made mass people aware about cause and consequences of trafficking.
   
   
2. Prosecuting Offenders and Protecting Survivors: USAID funds four NGO-run shelter homes that provide survivors with legal aid, health care support, livelihood skill training and rehabilitation services.  USAID also supports capacity building training for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors and lawyers to ensure collaborative efforts in providing legal support to the survivors and in prosecuting traffickers.
   
   
3. Strengthening Bangladesh's Anti-trafficking Network: USAID supported the Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC).  ATSEC is a premier national anti-trafficking network with the goal of linking NGOs with the Government and establishing an effective national anti-trafficking agenda. Additionally, USAID promotes networking between relevant GOB ministries and NGOs.
   
   
4. Targeting Research: USAID supports legal review of migration related rules and regulations to enhance Bangladesh government’s capacity to monitor recruiting processes reduce abuses in labor migration and protect the rights of the migrants.  USAID also supports a study on trafficking to gauge the prevalence of trafficking in some targeted sectors internally. Other ongoing-effort includes an assessment of the current status and relevance of counter-trafficking interventions taken by both the US and Bangladesh governments. Recommendations from the assessment will be used to combat trafficking-in-persons through the new USAID-supported program.
   
   
5. Building NGO Capacity: USAID provides technical assistance to strengthen NGOs fighting trafficking.  To reduce trafficking and ensure that proper care is available for survivors, USAID:

• provides training on shelter home operation to ensure minimum standard of care;
• sponsors workshops and training seminars to improve the skills of those working to prevent trafficking; and
• monitors field activities to share lessons learned and identify "good practices".