Govt urged to improve human rights situation

Lawyers, rights activists and officials on Sunday expressed dissatisfaction over prevailing state of human rights situation as people were facing problems in enjoying their civic and political rights in the country.
They said trafficking victims, killing of bloggers, issues of disappearances, child labour abuses, lack of rule of law, poor status of nutrition and lack of implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts accord remained the big challenges to the government.
The state mechanism should take measures to improve the situation through ensuring people’s rights, enforcing relevant laws, implementing commitments and bringing the perpetrators of crime under justice, they said
They made their remarks while speaking at a consultation on 2nd cycle of UPR recommendation : Status of Implementation at the city’s CIRDAP auditorium, organised by National Human Rights Commission.
Presiding over the inaugural session, NHRC Chairman Mizanur Rahman said it was the responsibility of the state to return back or find out the disappeared 19 people as their family members recently gathered together to appeal to the government to know their situation and whereabouts.
‘If the state mechanism did not detain them and if they were taken by gangs of criminals it was also the responsibility of the state to rescue them and let them return to their families,’ he said.
The government was taking time to frame rules, Chief of Mission of International Organisation for Migration Sarat Chandra Dash said, although it enacted good laws including Overseas Employment and Migrants Act 2013 and Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act 2012.
Executive director of Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association Salma Ali said lack of implementation of relevant laws and inactive roles of the government agencies were making people vulnerable to trafficking.
Migrant workers continued facing multifarious problems at home and abroad but they were not given legal supports, she said.
Speaking as chief guest, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs minister Anisul Huq said that the government has been working to ensure rights and justice to the people.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies senior vice president Ali Haider Chowdhury described human trafficking as a cancer of the society and said that the legal recruiting agencies were not involved with the evil deeds.
‘People are being trafficked through not only the sea routes but they are also being sent abroad illegally through airports,’ he said.
Ali Haider suggested conducting strong monitoring by officials from expatriates welfare, home affairs, foreign affairs and civil aviation ministries to check trafficking.
IOM representative Peppi K Siddiq said that most of the migrants who were going overseas have no skills and formal education being vulnerable to many problems.
She said that lack of coordination among key ministries, lack of good governance in migration, high cost of migration, and agents-subagents in recruitment process were making people vulnerable to illegal trafficking.

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