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In conversation with Jannatul Ferdous, Judge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Offence Tribunal in Chattogram


Dhaka, Bangladesh 5 June 2022 – Can you describe yourself in a couple of sentences?

I am a straightforward person. I love walking on a straight road, writing and always speaking the truth. I am currently serving as the Judge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Offence Tribunal, Chattogram.

Who has inspired you to do the work you do? When I was young, I wanted to study Bangla literature to be a writer and researcher of the works of Rabindranath Tagore. No one knows where the waves of the sea will end up. My father wanted me to be a judge. I graduated in law from the University of Dhaka to fulfil my father's dream. Unfortunately, my father passed away before seeing me become a judge.

What motto do you live by? I follow my mother's life motto – honesty, hard work, devotion, fairness and peace.

What are the main takeaways from your engagement with UNODC? Through my engagement with UNODC, I am getting the opportunity to enrich myself with new judicial concepts and methodologies. I now realize how different issues need to be considered in the adjudication process in a new way. I am also observing the comparative outline of the national and international framework through this workshop.

In your own words, do you think having women judges working on human trafficking cases is important? If yes, why? In my opinion, women should be involved in the adjudication of human trafficking cases because in human trafficking cases, many victims and accused are women. Women make up half of the world's population. Therefore, no sector can be holistically developed if we exclude women.

What would surprise people to know about women working as judges in Bangladesh? The women judges of Bangladesh are not only women, but they are superwomen. A woman judge fulfils all her duties both at work and at home. Even if both husband and wife are judges, the wife has to take care of the family and household chores. Despite so many obstacles, a woman judge carries out her duties with utmost sincerity and reveals herself in her own glory. Indeed someone outside Bangladesh might be surprised at such a great sense of responsibility.

What are the main challenges for the women working in the judiciary in Bangladesh? Women judges face many challenges throughout their careers, especially during maternity leave and when raising infants. In that case, the work environment should be more child friendly.

What advice do you have for women seeking a career in the judiciary in Bangladesh? I would say that the expectation is that future women judges will be able to take themselves further by improving the judicial arena of Bangladesh.

How do you see your involvement with UNODC making a difference in your daily work as a judge? The change I have noticed in my day-to-day work after getting involved with UNODC is to use their research which looks at many factors. This is helpful because we do not get the opportunity to delve deeper into the cases and analyse matters due to the large caseload.

Any final words? I hope UNODC can do its utmost to bring about an overall positive change to our existing judiciary; then, we might one day be able to set a good precedent when it comes to human trafficking cases.

****End****

The Global Action against and the Smuggling of Migrants – Bangladesh (GLO.ACT – Bangladesh) is a joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the . GLO.ACT-Bangladesh builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 in 13 partner countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Through targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions, the GLO.ACT aims to support the Government of Bangladesh and civil society organizations to more effectively fight the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling across the country. The project works on developing evidence-based information on trafficking and smuggling patterns and trends, legislative review and harmonization, capability development of criminal justice actors, and international cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms. The project is fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.

The project is funded by the European Union.

For more information, please contact:
Mahdy Hassan: [email protected]
[email protected]
GLO.ACT Bangladesh
Twitter: @glo_act

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

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PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

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EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.