IJM trains law enforcers to combat sexual exploitation, trafficking of children

International Justice Mission (IJM) on Monday launched a four-day specialised training for 39 officials from Bangladesh's law enforcement and intelligence agencies to strengthen their capacity to combat Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and child sex trafficking.

The training titled “Cryptocurrency and Digital Investigation and Multi-Agency Integration to Combat Internal CSEC and Child Sex Trafficking” launched at the Detective Training School (DTS) in the capital’s Rajarbag, said a press release.

The four-day training will conclude on Thursday, with a graduation and closing ceremony, where certificates will be awarded to the participants.

Rebeka Khan, joint secretary of Political-1 Branch at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), inaugurated the training as chief guest.

Claire Wilkinson, country director of IJM Bangladesh, chaired the inaugural session.

Sultana Esrat Jahan, additional superintendent of police of CID, Alyse Kennedy, political officer (TIP) of US Embassy Dhaka and IJM Bangladesh’s staff were present during the event.

The 39 participants represent five law enforcement and intelligence agencies: 11 officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), 12 from the National Security Intelligence (NSI), 10 from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), two from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), two from Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP), and two from the National Central Bureau (NCB).

Four specialist trainers – Shahnewaj Raju, additional SSP, CPC, CID; Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman, joint director, NSI; Md Jahurul Huq, superintendent of police, PBI; and Caleb Carroll, manager, law enforcement development and partnerships, European Anti-Trafficking Program, IJM – will facilitate 14 sessions throughout the four-day programme.

Chief guest Rebeka Khan said, “The Bangladesh government has taken important steps to strengthen its response to trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable persons. Significant efforts have been made to improve investigation and prosecution, strengthen victim protection and assistance, enhance institutional coordination, and promote whole-of-government responses to crimes like CSEC.”

Encouraging the training participants from different law enforcing agencies, Rebeka added, “We must strengthen our capabilities, partnerships, and implementation. Success is not measured by the number of policies adopted, meetings or trainings organised. It is measured by outcomes, children who are protected from exploitation. It is measured by victims who receive justice, and investigations that lead to accountability. Finally, success is measured by public confidence that our institutions can effectively protect the vulnerable and uphold the rule of law.”

The joint secretary thanked IJM Bangladesh for organising the training.

In her opening remarks, IJM Bangladesh’s Country Director Claire Wilkinson said, “The nature of crime is changing, and the methods used by criminal networks are evolving rapidly. Child sexual exploitation and trafficking are no exception. If our investigations focus only on the immediate offender or the person directly found at the crime scene, we risk leaving the larger network untouched.”

She added, “The challenges are significant, these crimes may be becoming more sophisticated, but our collective response can become more sophisticated too.”

“Let us use this training opportunity to strengthen our capabilities, deepen our partnerships and reaffirm our collective commitment to making Bangladesh safer for every child,” she further said. 

The training covers emerging trends in cryptocurrency-related crimes and their connections to human trafficking, CSEC, cyber fraud, and money laundering in Bangladesh and internationally. Participants will explore cryptocurrency and blockchain fundamentals, the use of digital currencies in criminal operations, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) resources.

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Sessions will also examine Bangladesh's human trafficking landscape, recent developments in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, and the financial dimensions of internal trafficking cases, including money laundering and ransom collection trends.

Through practical exercises and investigative case-based learning, participants will develop skills in blockchain analysis and tracing digital assets, identifying financial transactions linked to trafficking networks, and using digital intelligence to support proactive investigations.

The programme will also address the dismantling of local and transnational criminal networks, investigator safety in online environments, and dark-web investigation techniques.

IJM aims to reduce CSEC in Bangladesh by 50% by 2030 and ensure the protection of 6 million children. To achieve this, IJM Bangladesh has been supporting the first responders, decision makers and policy makers as they can implement the laws and policies to prevent CSEC effectively.

The organisation will implement activities in 11 districts under Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, and Mymensingh divisions.