‘Media and press playing important role in raising awareness on human trafficking and migrant smuggling’

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Dr Md Ziauddin Ahmed has said there is a tendency among people seeking to migrate abroad to take risks, while many choose irregular routes to leave Bangladesh for foreign countries.

As one of the world’s largest migrant-sending countries, this poses a risk to Bangladesh’s image, he said, adding that the government is working with destination countries to ensure safe and orderly migration.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a workshop on the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act, 2026, organised for senior journalists and media professionals by Justice and Care Bangladesh with support from the British High Commission in Dhaka on Saturday (22 August).

Senior media professionals and experts in the field attended the workshop.

The event focused on deepening participants’ understanding of the new legal framework and discussed the increasingly complex and transnational nature of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. 

The issues were examined not only from a law enforcement perspective but also from a humanitarian perspective, with emphasis on the experiences, rights and protection needs of victims and survivors.

Speaking at the event, Dr Md Ziauddin Ahmed said, “The media and press are playing an important role in raising public awareness about human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It is extremely important for the media to have a clear understanding of the issue and its various dimensions, as it is a global problem. The Bangladesh government has taken various initiatives to combat this transnational and organised crime, and the enactment of the 2026 law is an important milestone in these efforts.”

Mohammad Tariqul Islam, country director of Justice and Care Bangladesh, conducted the main session on the new law. He explained that migrant smuggling has been included as a separate chapter in the new law, in line with international protocols.

The law has also introduced several important procedural changes. The powers of judges and investigation officers of the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Tribunal have been expanded. At the same time, related offences such as rape and murder, which were previously outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction, can now be tried by tribunal judges as associated offences.

Additional Superintendent of Police Md Abu Noman of the Special Branch (SB-Immigration) conducted a detailed session on how criminal networks are exploiting existing systems to smuggle people abroad.

He explained how forged documents are being prepared to obtain visas and how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to generate false information to facilitate human trafficking.

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He also said Bangladesh immigration authorities have taken several important initiatives and measures to prevent the crime, including stopping potential victims from travelling abroad.

Md SK Tanvir Mahmud, editor of the Bangla section of GIJN, conducted a session on ethical and investigative journalism. He discussed international standards for investigative journalism and noted that media reports on human trafficking and migrant smuggling often place greater emphasis on the criminal aspect than on the victims.

The workshop concluded with practical case discussions. Participating journalists were encouraged to apply the lessons from the day-long discussions to their future reporting and contribute to producing more informed, responsible and survivor-centred reports on human trafficking and migrant smuggling.