Project Name: Enhancing Protection of Child Sex Trafficking Survivors in Bangladesh

Project Introduction:
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) exists in Bangladesh, with poverty, social exclusion, gender discrimination, widespread illiteracy, lack of awareness and poor governance being key factors contributing to prevalence. Children from rural areas are often lured on the false presence of lucrative job opportunities in big cities before being sold for commercial sex work in Dhaka; or ‘bonded’ into commercial sex by family members to pay off loans. Dhaka slum dwellers, especially the thousands who migrate there each year due to climate displacement, are highly vulnerable to CSEC due to economic insecurity, dependence on the streets for living, lack of social connections and risk of family separation. The economic inflation, post-covid 19 effects and the global and ecological unrest has made the situation even worse, inspiring the sex worker mothers to involve their young children into sexual slavery.

Thereupon, taking a good understanding of the CST hotspot modelling for the and considering DAM’s current footprints in TIP and child protection interventions, DAM is implementing this project in 02 targeted geographic locations: Jashore and Dhaka. DAM will target 03 brothels of Jashore Central and 05 hotspots in Dhaka (with surrounded slums) based on the organizational presence of the 02 social development institutions: Thikana & KANAN.

This project has four main objectives: firstly, increased awareness and will to combat internal CST among government officials, law enforcement, CSOs and at- risk communities; secondly, to support the development of a robust evidence based on internal CST, inclusive of survivor voices and share it where appropriate; thirdly, children exploited by internal CST have access to survivor-centred and trauma-informed rehabilitation, and
reintegration services provided by government and CSOs; and fourthly, frontline CSOs and survivor leaders have
increased their capability and quality of their engagement on internal CST.

Project Agreement Number: BDOO1010

Award Number: SSJTIP23GR0007

Overall Objective: Increased awareness and will to combat internal CST among government officials, law, enforcement, CSOs, and at-risk communities.

Specific Objectives:

• Objective 1: Increased awareness and will to combat internal CST among government officials, law enforcement, CSOs and at-risk communities.
  • • Sub-objective 1a: Local and national level government and law enforcement have improved knowledge and systems to recognise and identify cases of internal CST.
    • Sub-objective 1b: Children and communities at high risk of engaging in internal CST and the wider public have increased awareness of the scale and harm caused by internal CST in Bangladesh.

• Objective 2: A robust evidence base on internal CST, inclusive of survivor voices, is generated and shared.
• Objective 3: Children exploited by internal CST have access to survivor-centred and trauma-informed rehabilitation, and reintegration services provided by government and CSOs.
  • • Sub-objective 3a: Children exploited by internal CST have access to shelter, survivor-centered and trauma-informed rehabilitative care.
    • Sub objective 3b: Children leaving shelter homes have individual reintegration plans and follow up support to prevent re-trafficking
• Objective 4: Frontline CSOs and survivor leaders are supported to strengthen their organizational capacity, leadership and advocacy skills to contribute to the eradication of internal CST.

Project Components:

• CST Survivor’s Identification and enrollment
• Case Management and Case Conference
• Individual need assessment to identify essential social services
• Refer Survivors to need-based Health, Education, Shelter, Legal and Drug Rehabilitation Services
• Mental State Examination (MSE)
• Psychosocial Counseling (Individual, Group, Trauma)
• Provide shelter support to children
• Mid-length Transitional Shelter Support
• Family Reintegration
• Post Reintegration Follow-up
• District-level Advocacy Dialogue with local government and local administration, Law enforcement Agencies and Media Persons
• National-level Consultation Meeting with representatives of Ministry, CSO and CTIP Networks and CSEC Leaders and National-level CTC and CWB
• Activate CWB and CTC, CBCPC.
• Formation of New Anirban in Dhaka City

Major Activities:

• 1.1 Deliver activities aimed at government officials at the local, district, national level as well as multilateral coordination groups improve knowledge of internal CST and increase willingness to take stronger actions against CST.
• 1.2 Activate and support Child Welfare Boards (CWB) and Counter Trafficking Committee (CTC).
• 1.4: Mobilise and train community group members to raise awareness of internal CST, generate support for community reporting of CST cases and to advocate with the Community Based Child Protection Committees for better services to vulnerable children.
• Activity 1.5: Activate Community Based Child Protection Committees (CBCPC) to ensure they are functional to identify and protect CST survivors.
• Activity 1.6: Support the Freedom Fund in a normative change campaign in traditional, social media and in communities, to increase public awareness of the scale and harm caused by sexual exploitation of children in Bangladesh.
• Activity 2.3: Utilize the above and other existing evidence to develop and mainstream a reintegration strategy with government and civil society.
• Activity 2.5 Participate in dissemination workshops to share findings from latest research and evaluations, build consensus around implications and agree on onward actions to encourage evidence-based responses to internal CST.
• Activity 3.1. Implement minimum standards of care in shelter homes supporting survivors of internal CST.
• Activity 3.2. Provide comprehensive support for survivors of internal CST
• Activity 3.4. Provide direct reintegration support services, and referral to local services, to  survivors of CST leaving or having left institutionalized care.
• 4.3. identify and support capacity enhancement of survivor leaders to provide ongoing input into the adaptive management and monitoring and evaluation of the program, participate in advocacy with decision makers and drive change from the community level.

Project Participants (Direct): 590 (children under the age of 17 years)

Project Duration: 15 Months (1st August 2024- 31 October 2025)

Financial partner (Donor): The Freedom Fund (funded by United States JTIP Office)

Implementing partner (if any): N/A

Project Location (District & Upazila): Dhaka City and Jashore Sadar.

Number of Field offices:  Two Field Office (DAM HO. & Jashore Office)

Project Budget (Total): USD 147,635

Number of project staffs and volunteers:

Contact Person:
Name & Designation: Sk. Mahabbat Hossen, Team Leader, Rights & Governance Sector
Email: mahabbat.dam@gmail.com
Cell:    +8801716054610