Sylhet: Senior Home Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury has emphasized the need for coordinated field-level implementation of the Manob Pachar o Obhibashi Chorachalan Protirodh o Daman Ain, 2026 (Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Prevention and Suppression Act, 2026).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the senior secretary highlighted the necessity for close cooperation among law enforcement agencies, administration, immigration, and investigation bodies to ensure the effective enforcement of the new law. Chowdhury made these remarks as the chief guest at a divisional workshop focused on the law's effective implementation held in Sylhet.
Chowdhury pointed out that migrant smuggling has been distinctly defined as a separate offence under the new legislation. He stressed the importance of differentiating between human trafficking and migrant smuggling to undertake appropriate investigative and legal actions based on the nature of each offence. He noted that migrant smuggling is an organized, transnational crime and that enhancing border surveillance alone would be insufficient to combat it.
The senior secretary urged concerned agencies to work in coordination to identify issues such as visa and document fraud, brokers, intermediaries, and the broader criminal networks behind these offences. He underscored the importance of grassroots-level coordination and the sharing of information and intelligence among all relevant institutions to ensure swift and coordinated responses.
Chowdhury also warned against criminalizing everyone attempting to travel abroad through irregular routes, acknowledging that many individuals could be victims of fraud, exploitation, or human trafficking. He emphasized the need to identify, protect, and connect these potential victims with necessary assistance in addition to taking action against offenders.
The workshop, organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs with support from the British High Commission and Justice and Care, Bangladesh, addressed issues such as migrant smuggling, visa and document fraud, identification of criminal networks, victim protection, and inter-agency coordination. The event was chaired by Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Md Mashiur Rahman and attended by Deputy Inspector General of Sylhet Range Mohammad Jahangir Hossain, Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim, and Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun, among others.