Govt plans integrated border management: Salahuddin

Bangladesh is working to introduce integrated border management to curb human trafficking and other border crimes and strengthen national security, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said tonight.

He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with International Organization for Migration Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels at the UN House in the capital’s Gulshan, according to a home ministry press release.

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Terming human trafficking a “heinous crime”, Salahuddin said many people fall victim to traffickers because of greed, ignorance, and a lack of awareness.

He said Bangladesh remained committed to ensuring safe, orderly and dignified migration, while the government had taken steps to improve migration governance, protect migrants, and strengthen border security.

“The International Organization for Migration has been one of the home ministry’s most trusted and important partners for the past two decades,” he said, expressing hope that cooperation between the two sides would be further strengthened and expanded.

During the meeting, the minister asked whether the IOM had a list of trafficking networks.

Daniels said the organisation could help identify trafficking networks. She added that the IOM and Interpol had data on human trafficking trends, which they shared.

She also stressed the need for an integrated information management system to combat human trafficking.

The two sides reviewed the existing cooperation and partnership between the home ministry and the IOM and discussed future priority areas.

Daniels praised the IOM’s longstanding partnership with the Bangladesh government and said the organisation was ready to provide any assistance needed to ensure safe migration.

She attended the meeting as part of her five-day official visit to Bangladesh from August 1 to 5.

The IOM’s newly appointed chief of mission in Bangladesh, Dr Laura Tomm-Bonde, and senior officials from the home ministry and the organisation were also present.