¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Bangladesh has remained in Tier 2, as in the past year, in the United States Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2025 published on Tuesday.

‘The Government of Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period; therefore, Bangladesh remained in Tier 2,’ said the US annual report made available on the Department of State website.

The government identified more trafficking victims and referred them to protection services. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas, the report observed in its Bangladesh chapter.

It mentioned that, in August 2024, civil unrest resulted in the fall of the previous government and the collapse of the police force, which hindered Bangladesh’s ability to maintain consistent law enforcement and prosecution efforts.

The government reported that it investigated 811 cases involving 3,334 suspects, including 115 sex trafficking cases, 227 labour trafficking cases, and 469 cases for unspecified forms of trafficking, and continued to investigate 394 cases from previous reporting periods, the report mentioned.

This compared with the investigation of 975 cases involving 4,042 suspects and continued investigation of 532 cases during the previous reporting period.

The government reported initiating prosecution of 452 suspects and continuing prosecution of 94 suspects from the previous reporting period.

‘This was a significant decrease compared with the prosecution of 3,475 suspects in the previous reporting period,’ the report mentioned.

It said that the courts and tribunals convicted 103 traffickers though the courts convicted 407 traffickers in the previous reporting period.

The government reported that courts ceased operations for more than three months due to political unrest, hindering overall law enforcement efforts, the report mentioned. 

It said that the government investigated, prosecuted, and convicted fewer traffickers and did not take adequate steps to address internal trafficking crimes, including sex trafficking and forced child labour, which remained pervasive.

The report found that labour inspectors severely lacked the capacity to adequately monitor the informal sectors and hold companies accountable for labour violations.

It said that victim protection and reintegration efforts remained insufficient, particularly for Rohingyas and returning Bangladeshi migrant workers.

The report found that corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement efforts.

Observers previously alleged some Bangladeshi officials facilitated the trafficking of Rohingya, including by accepting bribes from traffickers to gain access to camps, as well as corruption and exploitation, according to the report.

It said that migrant smugglers sometimes bribed officials to obtain valid Bangladeshi passports for Rohingyas, increasing vulnerabilities to trafficking.

The government continued to permit set recruitment fees that rendered many migrant workers indebted, increasing their vulnerability to trafficking.

The US report recommended increasing law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute credible allegations of trafficking of Rohingyas, including cases that do not involve movement, and establishing clear procedures for referring Rohingyas to protection services.

It suggested increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including complicit officials, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.

It also underlined the need for strengthening the capacity of Anti-Trafficking Tribunal personnel to prosecute and adjudicate human trafficking cases, and expanding tribunals to heavy caseload areas.

The report called for implementing the 2015 memorandum of understanding with India to streamline the identification and repatriation of Bangladeshi trafficking victims.

Observers estimate 1,20,000 children work in the Keraniganj industrial area’s garment factories, often in deplorable conditions, and many children are indentured and serve as collateral for their parents’ loans. Children also work on fishing vessels and in dangerous jobs in the fishing industry, the report said.

Child sex trafficking remained widespread with an estimated 30,000 girls exploited in Bangladesh, the report revealed.

Bangladesh was in Tier 2 in the 2023 report.

The countries whose governments do not fully meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards are placed in the Tier 2 category.