Bangladesh Counter Trafficking-in-Persons Annual Performance Report YEAR 5: October 2018 – September 2019

Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Winrock International. The program works in 20 trafficking-prone districts to address the trafficking problem, providing robust interventions in all four USAID areas of emphasis: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Partnership, and Child Marriage. The project connects local and national government representatives, non-governmental organizations, citizens, and community leaders to prevent trafficking-in-persons, protect survivors, prosecute perpetrators, prevent child marriage, and engage at all levels of society as change agents in curbing the crime. The program's goal is to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking and child marriage in Bangladesh by strengthening the capacity of communities to identify trafficking victims and take action, improving trafficking victims' access to assistance, increasing the responsiveness of criminal justice actors to trafficking victims, facilitating effective and coordinated partnerships among stakeholders to combat trafficking, and increasing responsiveness of duty bearers and justice actors on child marriage issues. Bangladesh has made significant progress in reducing poverty, with the rate decreasing from 44.2 percent in 1991 to 14.8 percent in 2016/17. The country has also increased life expectancy, literacy rates, and per capita food production. However, the political and governance situation remains volatile, with a culture of no tolerance against opposing views and a culture of impunity for law enforcers and those belonging to the party in power. This environment creates an enabling condition for money laundering and trafficking. The Rohingya crisis in Cox's Bazar has placed a significant strain on the service delivery system, with 914,998 Rohingya individuals in Bangladesh as of September 30, 2019. The BC/TIP program is implementing TIP and safe migration activities in Cox's Bazar and supporting at-risk populations to address child marriage and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in host communities and Rohingya refugee populations. Bangladesh remains vulnerable to human trafficking, with the country receiving a waiver to remain on the US State Department's Tier 2 Watch List for the third year in a row. To upgrade to Tier 2 in 2020, the Government of Bangladesh must demonstrate "significant efforts" and "overall increasing efforts" to combat human trafficking. The National Plan of Action (NPA) for Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking 2018-2022, if adequately implemented, would demonstrate enforcement and implementation procedures enough to meet the Trafficking Victim Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards. The BC/TIP program is working collaboratively with stakeholders to address the trafficking problem in Bangladesh. The program's activities include strengthening the capacity of communities to identify trafficking victims and take action, improving trafficking victims' access to assistance, increasing the responsiveness of criminal justice actors to trafficking victims, facilitating effective and coordinated partnerships among stakeholders to combat trafficking, and increasing responsiveness of duty bearers and justice actors on child marriage issues. In Quarter 1, Year 6 (October 2019 – December 2019), the BC/TIP program achieved several key outcomes, including the strengthening of community-based organizations to provide assistance to trafficking victims, the increase in the number of trafficking victims accessing assistance, and the improvement in the responsiveness of criminal justice actors to trafficking victims. The program also facilitated effective and coordinated partnerships among stakeholders to combat trafficking and increased responsiveness of duty bearers and justice actors on child marriage issues. The BC/TIP program is committed to reducing the prevalence of human trafficking and child marriage in Bangladesh. The program's activities are designed to address the root causes of trafficking and to provide assistance to trafficking victims. The program's goal is to create a society where human trafficking and child marriage are no longer tolerated.