Italy will take a stricter stance to prevent irregular migration, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro has said.
Speaking virtually from Dhaka at a training workshop held at Mostafapur in Madaripur on Thursday, he said Italy wishes to encourage people to travel abroad through legal channels rather than attempting to enter Europe via the life-threatening sea route through Libya.
The ambassador emphasised that mass media and journalists can play a crucial role in this regard.
Addressing the participating journalists, he said media reporting on migration is immensely important and called for investigative reports on trafficking syndicates alongside ensuring the protection of human trafficking victims.
Such reporting, he added, makes it possible to raise public awareness, identify criminals, and highlight the dangers of irregular migration.
Ambassador Alessandro further said that going abroad is not the only path to success in life, stressing that the opportunities to build a dignified life within the country must be presented to the public.
He advised prospective migrants not to rely on middlemen, but rather to make decisions after verifying information through government agencies and reliable institutions.
The training workshop on safe migration, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and sustainable reintegration was organised for journalists working in various mass media outlets across Madaripur and Shariatpur districts under the “Prottasha-2” project, jointly funded by the European Union and BRAC.
A total of 61 journalists (also recorded as 58 journalists from Madaripur and Shariatpur districts) participated in the event.
Other speakers at the workshop included First Secretary of the European Union Bangladesh Office Laura Cartania Yakh, Senior Programme Manager Nurul Quader, Migration Attaché at the Embassy of Italy in Dhaka Giuseppe di Giovanni, Additional Superintendent of Police (Madaripur) Jahangir Alam, Associate Director of BRAC Shariful Hasan, Editor of “Probash Kotha” Monjurul Karim, and Supreme Court Lawyer Salahuddin Rasel.
