Bangladesh Counter Trafficking-in-Persons (BC/TIP) Program Quarterly Performance Report: Q3, Year 4

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Winrock International, the program focuses on strengthening community capacity to identify and prevent trafficking, improving access to assistance for victims, increasing responsiveness of criminal justice actors, and facilitating partnerships among stakeholders. Trafficking-in-persons (TIP) is a significant issue worldwide, taking various forms, including exploitation of men, women, and children into bonded or abusive labor or the commercial sex trade. The program addresses trafficking in 20 trafficking-prone districts through robust interventions in all four areas of emphasis: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, and Partnership. BC/TIP connects local and national government representatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), citizens, and community leaders to prevent TIP, protect survivors, prosecute perpetrators, and engage society as change agents in curbing the crime. In March 2018, components on child marriage and knowledge and learning were added to BC/TIP's scope of work, and the project end date was extended by 13 months to November 30, 2020. The program will address the issue of child marriage in parallel with TIP interventions through prevention and protection activities, aiming to fill gaps in knowledge for child marriage. BC/TIP will also work with stakeholders to understand and identify drivers of violent extremism and introduce counter violent extremism (CVE) prevention and mitigation activities within targeted communities. During Quarter Three (Q3) of Year Four (Y4) of the program (April – June 2018), the first signs of political volatility began to show, as the Bangladesh general elections were scheduled. Students protested against the government Civil-Service Quota System, calling for reforms, while peaceful protests were met with violent opposition from the ruling party's student wing. Small demonstrations were staged in protest to the continued imprisonment of the BNP leader Khaleda Zia. The government commenced an anti-narcotic drive against alleged drug dealers and addicts, resulting in the arrest of 21,883 individuals between May and June. BC/TIP's partners are Bangladeshi NGOs with complementary skills and presence in the target areas, ensuring relevance, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. The program works collaboratively to reduce the prevalence of TIP in Bangladesh by strengthening community capacity, improving victim access to assistance, increasing criminal justice responsiveness, and facilitating partnerships among stakeholders. The program's achievements and activities during Q3, Y4 are outlined in this report, which includes discussion of the current political situation in Bangladesh and the challenges faced.