Summary

The Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhán Mullally, undertook a country visit to Bangladesh from 31 October to 9 November 2022. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commitment of Bangladesh to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also highlights the leading role played by Bangladesh in promoting the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and in hosting almost 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and she stresses the urgent need for continued international support for Rohingya refugees and host communities.

The Special Rapporteur highlights her grave concerns regarding the trafficking of women and girls for purposes of sexual exploitation and child marriage, both internally and across borders, as well as the continuing risks posed by child labour and its connection to child trafficking. The Special Rapporteur stresses the urgent need to strengthen child protection systems, enhance the protection of child rights and take action to promote gender equality and combat gender-based violence.

The Special Rapporteur stresses the need for urgent action to strengthen the protection of the rights of Rohingya refugees, to prevent the trafficking of Rohingya refugees, particularly children and young people, for purposes of child marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour and to ensure assistance to and protection of victims, without discrimination.

The report of the Special Rapporteur highlights the significant risks of trafficking in the context of labour migration and the need for the expansion of regular migration opportunities, particularly for women, including the strengthened regulation of recruitment processes.