04 June 2003
U.S. Commends Bangladesh Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons
(Ambassador Peters speaks at anti-trafficking video film festival in Dhaka) (1070) U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Mary Ann Peters said the United States condemns trafficking in persons and remains firmly committed to fighting this scourge. She also praised Bangladesh's commitment to combating trafficking, noting that Bangladeshi law enforcement and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were working successfully together to increase convictions for trafficking in Bangladesh. Peters, speaking on June 2, was addressing the Anti-Trafficking Video Film Festival in Dhaka, which celebrates a series of films -- both documentary and dramatic -- that address the problem of trafficking in persons. "This festival's focus on films as a means to help address the trafficking problem is very appropriate," Peters said. Both documentaries and dramatic films "offer useful tools that will help us to further spread the word about this social evil and renew our determination to do something about it," she said. Peters pointed out that the United States has provided $2.1 million to Bangladesh since 1998 to fund national awareness-building efforts, legal assistance, strengthening of an anti-trafficking network and support to victims through Bangladeshi NGOs. These NGOs assisted with the return of over 50 trafficked children, and in the arrest of 78 traffickers in 2002. Following is the text of Ambassador Mary Ann Peters' remarks at the Anti-Trafficking Video Film Festival in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 2, 2003: (begin text) Remarks at the Anti-Trafficking Video Film Festival Mary Ann Peters, Ambassador to Bangladesh Dhaka, Bangladesh June 2, 2003 Released by the U.S. Embassy Dhaka Honorable Minister Khurshid Zahan Haque; Ms. Ferdous Ara Begum, Joint Secretary, Distinguished Guests; Colleagues and Friends, On behalf of the United States of America, it is a privilege for me to participate in this opening ceremony of the Anti-trafficking Video Film Festival. This festival celebrates a series of films that were produced to address the trafficking problem using both documentary and dramatic approaches. At the outset, I would like to relate a typical trafficking story that happens each day in South Asia and in fact, throughout much of the world: A local trafficker recruits Sangeeta, a fourteen-year old village girl, to go with him to work as a domestic servant across the border. To convince her to come along, he paints a picture of wealth and prosperity that can be hers if she agrees to make the journey. After being taken from her family, she is smuggled across the border and sold to a brothel owner on the other side. There she is treated brutally to break her spirit and force her compliance. We need to focus on the human consequences of trafficking, and to once and again highlight the many disturbing factors that make up each and every trafficking event -- factors that often include fraud, deception, violence, betrayal, and slavery in addition to the exploitation that is usually associated with the word "trafficking". None of us like to hear these stories but as hard as it is for us to think about what happens, imagine how hard it must be for the young girl who actually endures this abuse. As many of us know, human trafficking is a social evil that is growing at an alarming rate throughout the world. This practice results in unimaginable human suffering and represents one of the most important human rights problems of our time. Each year throughout the world, millions of people suffer in silence in slave-like situations as a result of human trafficking. On an annual basis, it is estimated that more than 1 million women and children worldwide are trafficked and sold for a variety of different purposes including prostitution and forced labor. If one were to calculate this number, it comes to nearly 3,000 victims per day. Here in Bangladesh, as in other South Asian countries, the problem is also very acute. It is estimated that up to 20,000 persons, or 50 per day, are trafficked each year to major cities in India, Pakistan and the Middle East. The Government of Bangladesh has amply demonstrated its commitment to combating trafficking. For example, in 2000, there were The United States Government condemns trafficking in persons and remains firmly committed to fighting this scourge and protecting the victims who fall prey to traffickers. To help end trafficking, the United States Government has provided $2.1 million to Bangladesh since 1998 to fund national awareness building efforts, legal assistance, strengthening of an anti-trafficking network and support to victims through the Bangladesh National Women s Lawyers Association (BNWLA) and Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation (ATSEC). Over the past two years, these programs have begun to bear fruit. For example, in 2002, BNWLA effected the return of 2 women and 20 children from India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, released 2 women and 34 children from internal trafficking and provided information that helped the police arrest 78 traffickers. This festival s focus on films as a means to help address the trafficking problem is very appropriate. While any number of different techniques can be used to sensitize people to the issue, films have their own unique niche. For example, documentaries on the subject help provide us with the facts that we need to know about trafficking. They help us make sense of the many complexities that relate to the problem. They offer a call to action for us all to come together to tackle the issue; and they do all of this by providing a clear message. In contrast to this, dramatic films on the subject help us to develop an understanding of the problem and empathy through the use of lifelike characters that actually experience trafficking as the story unfolds. This allows viewers to internalize the problem from not only an intellectual level, but also from an emotional one. Both approaches offer useful tools that will help us to further spread the word about this social evil and renew our determination to do something about it. I would especially like to thank the organizers, ATSEC and the American Center, for planning and organizing this important event. (end text) (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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