Funded by IPA’s Human Trafficking Research Initiative and in collaboration with Justice & Care and Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, researchers are laying the groundwork to evaluate whether specialized training helps border guards identify people who have experienced trafficking among other migrants along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Results will be available in 2027.

The Challenge

Trafficking networks frequently move people across international borders, and frontline officials responsible for managing  irregular crossings often lack the training needed to identify people who have experienced trafficking from amongst other migrants. Without reliable identification and referral procedures, people who have experienced trafficking may not be connected to appropriate protection services and, in some cases, may be returned to the control of traffickers, increasing the risk of continued exploitation. Along the Indo-Bangladesh border, guards regularly encounter individuals crossing irregularly, but identifying people who have experienced trafficking has historically been challenging.¹ The 2024 U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report on Bangladesh highlighted continuing weaknesses in victim identification at border crossings, noting that trafficking victims may be detained or penalised for irregular migration before being appropriately identified and referred to protection services.² These challenges have underscored the need for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Border Guards Bangladesh to strengthen identification and referral systems at the border.

Specialized training may improve officials' ability to identify people who have experienced trafficking by providing standardized knowledge, skills, and procedures for recognizing indicators of trafficking and responding appropriately. Improved identification may increase referrals to protection services, reduce the risk of re-trafficking, and support law enforcement efforts to disrupt trafficking networks. However, there is little rigorous evidence from Bangladesh on whether anti-trafficking training for frontline border officials leads to measurable improvements in identifying people who have experienced trafficking.

The Program

Justice & Care Bangladesh delivers a trauma-sensitive training model to Border Guards Bangladesh personnel stationed in districts with high volumes of irregular cross-border movement. The training is grounded in the national Human Trafficking Crime and Victim Identification Guideline, which the government requested and has since adopted across law enforcement. Personnel are trained to screen individuals encountered during irregular border crossings, identify people who may have experienced trafficking, and refer them to Justice & Care's aftercare services.

Since 2023, Justice & Care has trained 2278 Border Guards Bangladesh personnel across 10 high-movement districts, contributing to the referral of 593 people who may have experienced trafficking to its care.

The Evaluation

Researchers will engage Ministry of Home Affairs and Border Guards Bangladesh leaders and battalion commanders to align on program parameters, expectations, and data needs. They will also assess the completeness and consistency of existing administrative records, including interception and referral data, to determine what a future evaluation design could measure.

Based on these findings, researchers will determine whether a future rigorous pilot evaluation of the training program is feasible (based on data quality, political conditions, and stakeholder agreement).

Results

Results will be available in 2027.

Sources

^1. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES TO COUNTER CROSS-BORDER TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS: INDIA-BANGLADESH For First Responders, (New Delhi: United Nations, 2017), https://www.unodc.org/documents/southasia/publications/SOPs-on-TIP-India-Nepal-Bangladesh/indo_bangladesh_20_March_18.pdf

^2. US Department of State, “2024 Trafficking in Persons Report: Bangladesh,” US Department of State, Date Accessed September 21, 2026, https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/bangladesh/

Implementing Partner