Each division to ‘get anti-trafficking tribunal’

Law minister Anisul Huq. Star file photo

Law Minister Anisul Huq today said the government will form seven special tribunals at seven divisional headquarters of the country to try and punish the offences of human trafficking, and curb such crimes.

District and session judges concerned will conduct the tribunals, which will be established under the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act 2012, the minister said while talking to reporters after a meeting with Swedish Ambassador Johan Frisell at his Secretariat office.

Highest punishment for such organised crimes under this law is death penalty, he added.

The law minister said his ministry has already sent proposal for formation of the tribunals to the ministries concerned.

He said there are 557 cases, filed on charges of human trafficking, are pending with different courts across the country. Charge sheets were submitted in 257 cases and trial proceedings of 12 cases have been finished, he said.

Anisul also said the trial proceedings of the pending cases will be conducted at the women and children repression prevention tribunals concerned of the districts until the special tribunals are established in the divisional headquarters.