Workshop on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants with university students
UNODC, in collaboration with iProbono- a non-profit organisation working to promote social justice, organised a workshop on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants with Inter-university Law Students from 04-06 December 2022. The workshop was organised under the framework of Global Action against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM)– Bangladesh (GLO.ACT-Bangladesh). The inaugural session started with the welcome remarks by Mr. Mahdy Hassan, National Programme Coordinator (GLO.ACT Bangladesh), UNODC, focusing on the GLO Act Bangladesh Project overview and highlighting the objective of the 3-days workshop. Then Ms. Arpeeta S Mizan, Senior Legal Officer, iProbono & Assistant Professor of Law, University of Dhaka discussed why simulation as a method of clinical legal education is vital for learning practical skills to identify elements of TIP and SOM. Then Ms. Khandakar Farzana Rahman, Associate Professor & Chairperson, Department of Criminology, University of Dhaka; Ms. Amaia Zabala, Team Leader – Governance, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh; Mr. Marco Teixeira, Regional Representative, Regional Office for South Asia (Virtual presence), United Nations and Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary MP & Chairperson, Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development, Bangladesh National Parliament delivered their remarks, highlighting the importance of engaging youth and raising awareness among the community by creating a learning environment to combat TIP and SOM.
The 3 days of learning sessions were conducted by Mr. Emraan Azad, Assistant Professor of Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals; Advocate Tarek Rahman, Legal Officer, iProbono Bangladesh; Mr. MD Ekramul Habib, Additional DIG, Organized Crime, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh, Ms. Arpeeta S Mizan and Mr. Mahdy Hassan. The first day focused on theoretical understanding of TIP and SOM with interactive lectures and group work exercise. Days 2 and 3 were dedicated for simulation - a learning method which provides a powerful pedagogy that allows students to have experiences on problems and contexts that mirror the real fact. For this workshop, the participants were divided into groups as community advocates and they interviewed 7 role players who posed as various stakeholders in the TIP and SOM network- victims and survivors, local villagers concerned about TIP, agents and middlemen connected with TIP networks. The simulation gave the participants a hands-on experience of the challenges involved in identifying the facts required for a successful prosecution of TIP cases in Bangladeshi courts. The simulation ended with small group presentations by the participants on the investigation report.
The workshop participants included students from the University of Dhaka, Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, North South University, BRAC University, Independent University of Bangladesh, East West University, Eastern University, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Daffodil International University and Dhaka International University. The participants will create awareness in their respective university campus and reflect the awareness raising message in their extracurricular activities through iProbono's street law advocacy campaign.
The workshop concluded with certificate distribution. Closing remarks were delivered by Ms. Sumaiya Shimu, PhD, Actor & Chairman, Better Future for Women; Ms. Euridice Marquez, GLO.ACT Programme Management Officer, Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Section, UNODC Headquarters, Vienna, Austria; Professor Dr. Md. Rizwanul Islam, Chair, Department of Law, North South University; Professor Dr. S M Masum Billah, Dean, Department of Law, Jagannth University; Professor Dr. Mizanur Rahman, Director, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Bangladesh and Radhika Saxena, Programme Manager, iProbono. The guests emphasised on building a strong network of students to combat TIP and SOM. This workshop was a capacity building initiative of GLO.ACT Bangladesh Project, a joint initiative by the European Union and UNODC being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), led by the Government of Bangladesh. iProbono designed and executed the simulation exercise.