US trafficking report

The first thing to mention at this stage is that it remains unclear how precisely things have deteriorated from previous years, when Bangladesh was considered a Tier 2 country according to the US State Department report and this year, when relegation to Tier 3 has been threatened.

The second point is whether the withdrawal of non-humanitarian and non-trade related assistance, as has been threatened, is the appropriate means through which to fight the global trade in human trafficking. There is no question that the global trade in women and children is a planet-wide tragedy and that every effort should be made to free the victims of the trade from the misery and degradation that are inflicted upon them. Nor is there any question that our governments have not done nearly enough to combat it.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

However, surely as much, if not more, blame for the sorry state of affairs lies with the countries of destination for the trafficked women and children and the demand for their forced servitude. Until we see similar steps taken by the US against countries where trafficked women and children are on demand and consigned to a miserable existence, we will not be impressed that its concerns for the unfortunate victims of the trade is genuine.

The Bangladesh government can and must do more to bring a halt to this trade in human misery. The suspicion remains that if it were not for the threat of sanctions that the government would have continued to drag its feet. However, if the US is truly serious about combating human trafficking, it needs to pay more attention to the demand side of the equation.