Report on rescuing trafficking victims: HC

The High Court today directed the government to submit a report before it in four weeks on the steps taken for rescuing the Bangladeshi citizens stranded at sea and in the trafficking camps of Thailand and Malaysia.

In response to a writ petition, the court also issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks as to why its “inaction” to rescue those trafficked people should not be declared illegal.

In the rule it also asked the government to show cases as to why it should not be ordered to try and punish the human traffickers under the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act 2012.     

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo came up with the order and rule after hearing the petition filed by National Forum for Protection of Human Rights, a rights organization.

The organization submitted the petition on May 26 seeking order from the HC on the government to immediately rescue Bangladeshi boatpeople at the sea and the countrymen detained in the trafficking camps in Thailand and Malaysia.

It also prayed to the HC to direct the government to try and punish the human traffickers through formation of special tribunals.

It requested the court to ask for explanation from the authorities concerned of the government why their “inaction” to rescue the trafficked Bangladeshi people would not be declared illegal.

During hearing today, petitioner’s counsel Tajul Islam told the HC that few thousands of Bangladeshi people including women and children have reportedly trafficked and many are drifting at the sea.

Around 100 people most of whom are Bangladeshi in a boat have died of food crisis, he said.

Tajul argued that the government has not taken effective steps for helping and rescuing them, rather it has said that action will be taken against them for trying to illegally migrate.

The government’s stand might jeopardize those trafficked people, he said.

Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim Swapna opposed the petition saying that the government has taken steps for rescuing the trafficked people.