Quick disposal of human trafficking cases necessary

If case after case remains unresolved for years, especially in human trafficking, it would not help any way to reduce this crime of unspeakable nature. According to a report published in this newspaper yesterday, due to shortage of judge, a total of 437 cases have been piled up in Cox’s Bazaar alone. These cases were filed between 2012 and 2017, without any of them being disposed of.

Since the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act was passed in 2012, the government set up an Anti-Human Trafficking Offence Tribunal comprising a judge of the rank of a sessions judge, or additional sessions judge, in each district for speedy trial of cases. But the example of Cox’s Bazaar says that this strategy is not bringing the desired result due to lack of sincerity.

It is really unacceptable that there is no judge in the court for last six months and the trial of human trafficking cases is going on at the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal. Since Cox’s Bazaar is a very important place as far as this particular crime is concerned, it is regrettable that for the want of judge the cases cannot be disposed of.

It is expected that the relevant entity would take an immediate step to appoint a judge at the Cox’s Bazaar court. There is little doubt that for arresting any crime, enforcement of law is vital, but for various limitations, laws could not be enforced in our society. It is alleged that, due to flawed investigation and lack of legal infrastructure, human traffickers often get away in our country. The more serious allegation is that influential persons’ names are dropped from the cases. As a result, actual criminals remain at large and the incidents of human trafficking do not decrease.

But a certain section of Bangladesh’s population is vulnerable to human trafficking. Due to poverty, many gullible rural households believe the words of the traffickers who lure them of better life in foreign lands. But their promise turns out to be false. The female victim, more pathetically, become victims of forced sex labour in unknown places. Yet the government has a responsibility to protect these gullible people. And for this the law enforcing agencies and justice system in this regard must act with utmost sincerity.

Quick disposal of human trafficking cases necessary

If case after case remains unresolved for years, especially in human trafficking, it would not help any way to reduce this crime of unspeakable nature. According to a report published in this newspaper yesterday, due to shortage of judge, a total of 437 cases have been piled up in Coxs Bazaar alone. These cases were filed between 2012 and 2017, without any of them being disposed of. Since the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act was passed in 2012, the government set up an Anti-Human Trafficking Offence Tribunal comprising a judge of the rank of a sessions judge, or additional sessions judge, in each district for speedy trial of cases. But the example of Coxs Bazaar says that this strategy is not bringing the desired result due to lack of sincerity. It is really unacceptable that there is no judge in the court for last six months and the trial of human trafficking cases is going on at the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal. Since Coxs Bazaar is a very important place as far as this particular crime is concerned, it is regrettable that for the want of judge the cases cannot be disposed of. It is expected that the relevant entity would take an immediate step to appoint a judge at the Coxs Bazaar court. There is little doubt that for arresting any crime, enforcement of law is vital, but for various limitations, laws could not be enforced in our society. It is alleged that, due to flawed investigation and lack of legal infrastructure, human traffickers often get away in our country. The more serious allegation is that influential persons names are dropped from the cases. As a result, actual criminals remain at large and the incidents of human trafficking do not decrease. But a certain section of Bangladeshs population is vulnerable to human trafficking. Due to poverty, many gullible rural households believe the words of the traffickers who lure them of better life in foreign lands. But their promise turns out to be false. The female victim, more pathetically, become victims of forced sex labour in unknown places. Yet the government has a responsibility to protect these gullible people. And for this the law enforcing agencies and justice system in this regard must act with utmost sincerity.