A/HRC/53/26/Add.3 welfare of migrant workers. These mission personnel are tasked with working with host Governments to provide the necessary support to Bangladeshi migrant workers. 31. To combat human trafficking, the Government developed a national action plan for the suppression and prevention of human trafficking, 2018–2022, with a national committee against human trafficking established under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Committees also exist at the subdistrict levels, with the participation of the local authorities, civil society and community members. 32. The Bangladesh-United Nations Network on Migration was established in 2019 to ensure the provision of coordinated, effective and timely support to the Government on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The network is led by the International Organization for Migration, in partnership with the office of the United Nations resident coordinator, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), ILO, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Programme. Two technical working groups on labour migration and countering trafficking in persons involve United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and academic institutions whose work supplement the work of the Network. The national action plan for the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is being drafted with the support of these stakeholders and contains identified prioritized actions to undertake with relevant actors in order to address migration issues. 33. The Special Rapporteur notes that, despite the existence of significant institutional structures, stronger coordination and cooperation among stakeholders is still needed, including among ministries and stakeholders in order to better address the various challenges which affect the human rights of migrants. IV. Issues of focus 34. The Special Rapporteur outlines several challenges that he observed which highlight gaps in the protection of the human rights of migrant workers. A. Recruitment practices 35. The Special Rapporteur notes that, despite the positive economic contributions that migrant workers bring to the local economy and the existence of the necessary regulations, many flaws still exist in the recruitment system that adversely affect the rights of migrant workers. These challenges exist at all stages of migration and also adversely affect the costs of migration for many aspiring migrant workers. Bangladesh has one of the highest costs of migration worldwide. 35. The desire to work abroad has created a complex market for private recruitment agencies. The agencies are required to be registered with the Bangladeshi Association of International Recruitment Agency. The Special Rapporteur was informed of the existence of around 1,700 private recruitment agencies currently registered with the Association. 37. The private recruitment agencies often rely heavily on dalals to recruit workers from communities all over the country. They engage with potential migrant workers by facilitating migration and arranging flights and employment contracts. Many dalals are unregistered and thus are not recognized or regulated by law. 38. Around 90 per cent of the costs of migration is transacted through dalals, and many aspiring migrants were dependent on dalals, as they were often individuals within their communities to whom they had easy access. Aspiring migrants often had no sufficient or proper education or knowledge about their rights and the important services provided by the authorities and thus became victims of abuse and fraud at the hands of unscrupulous dalals. 6 GE.23-08750

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