National referral mechanism launched to protect human trafficking victims
Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
The Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs has launched the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) framework to protect and assist victims of human trafficking.
NRM is a living framework that engages a multi-disciplinary set of government and non-governmental actors within a system guided by a set of protocols, forms, tools, guidelines, and principles.
The NRM will be operationalised under the direct management of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Authority with the leadership of the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Ashshash project, supported by Switzerland, has provided technical assistance to the ministry in developing this document.
Md Mostafizur Rahman, Senior Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, launched the framework as the Chief Guest at an event at a city hotel.
Md Ruhul Amin, Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare & Overseas Employment, Md Khairul Alam Sheikh, Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare, Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Head of Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh and Alena J Tansey, Director, Office of Democracy, Human Rights and Governance, USAID in Bangladesh participated as special guests and spoke at the event.
NRM to protect and assist the Victims of Human Trafficking (VoTs) is a cooperative framework that involves government, civil society, international organisations and UN agencies collaborating to establish a standard approach to proactively identify, refer, protect, and support victims of human trafficking.
The experience of government organisations and NGOs over the last two decades, reveals a need for a comprehensive one-stop-service mechanism to effectively deliver, follow-up and monitor the protection and care services for the victims of human trafficking, said organisers.
No single ministry, agency or organisation has the capacity to meet the diverse needs of the victims of human trafficking in ensuring proper psychosocial recovery, socio-economic integration, and justice.
Acknowledging the need, the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs took the initiative to develop NRM, they added.