The United States has outlined a 12-point set of recommendations to help Bangladesh strengthen its fight against human trafficking.
The proposals were included in the US State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released on Monday – the first such report under the Trump Administration, which has pledged a tough stance against trafficking.
“The government of Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so,” the report stated.
It noted that Bangladesh showed overall increased efforts compared to the previous year, allowing the country to remain on Tier 2 of the global ranking.
The recommendations call for expanding investigations and prosecutions of trafficking crimes, including those involving complicit officials, and ensuring strong penalties such as lengthy prison terms.
They also suggest strengthening the Anti-Trafficking Tribunals with trained personnel and expanding them to high-caseload areas.
Protection and reintegration services for all victims – including men, foreign nationals, and those exploited abroad – must be improved, while ensuring freedom of movement in shelters.
The report urged strict enforcement of regulations on labor recruiters, sub-agents and brokers, including the elimination of recruitment fees and the prosecution of fraudulent recruiters.
It further advised enhancing the capacity of labor inspectors to detect trafficking, especially in the informal sector, and to refer cases for criminal investigation.
Greater identification of victims among vulnerable groups through formal procedures and the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was recommended, alongside measures to address the trafficking of Rohingya refugees by prosecuting credible cases and creating clear referral procedures for victim support.
In addition, the TIP Report stressed the need for more training of officials – including police, labor inspectors, immigration officers, and healthcare providers – on victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches.
It called for improved pre-departure training for migrant workers, including modules on labor rights and access to justice.
Other recommendations include ending the penalization of adult victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of trafficking, implementing the 2015 MoU with India to streamline identification and repatriation of Bangladeshi victims, and adopting a revised, fully resourced National Action Plan (NAP) with greater emphasis on prosecution and victim care.
The report also highlighted persistent challenges in cross-border trafficking cases.
Bangladeshi officials struggled to coordinate with foreign investigative agencies, gather international evidence, and pursue extradition of suspected traffickers. Law enforcement authorities often relied on civil society organizations rather than government resources to address such cases.
Despite these challenges, Bangladesh maintained cooperation with INTERPOL and bilateral legal assistance pacts with India and South Africa. Extradition treaties exist with India, South Africa, and Thailand.
In addition, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom have developed standard operating procedures for victim identification to improve coordination in tackling transnational trafficking.
Corruption remains a serious obstacle, the report stressed, noting that official complicity continues to undermine anti-trafficking efforts.
While the government did not report prosecuting any officials for involvement in trafficking, media reports highlighted cases where charges were filed against owners of 12 recruitment agencies – including a former government official – for charging workers nearly five times the legal recruitment fee limit.
The report also focused on trafficking to India, where the Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation, and Integration Task Force continued working on cases, particularly involving women and children. Both governments are finalising victim identification and repatriation procedures under the 2015 MoU.
Although repatriations were facilitated – often with the support of civil society – the absence of formal procedures has led to delays, leaving some Bangladeshi victims stranded in Indian shelters for years.
