By Mir Afroz Zaman Dhaka, April 18 : Speakers at a workshop stressed on strengthening regional cooperation among the SAARC countries to combat human trafficking, especially child trafficking, through using the platform of South Asian Initiatives to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC). The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) deals with the problem of trafficking. The SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution of 2002 was signed by Member States, they said. The Convention is aimed at promoting cooperation among Member States, so that they may effectively deal with the various aspects of trafficking in women and children, including the prevention of use of women and children in international prostitution networks, particularly where the countries of SAARC region are the countries of origin, transit and destination, the repatriation and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking, they said. They said this while addressing ‘a regional workshop to combat trafficking in children during and post-Covid-19’ in the capital on Monday. Netherlands-based organisation TdH Netherlands, INCIDIN Bangladesh and ATSEC Bangladesh jointly organized the event at a Hotel in Dhaka City. Stressing on enhancing regional cooperation, they called for strengthening the Convention by amending it, keeping the issue of cybercrime for dealing with the problem effectively. Meher Afroz Chumki, MP, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, attended as the chief guest, while AKM Masud Ali, Executive Director of INCIDIN Bangladesh and Chair, ATSEC Bangladesh, presided over. In her address, Chumki suggested introducing a common hotline and common advocacy among the SAARC countries for addressing the issue of trafficking. She also called for collaboration and close coordination among all the stakeholders and launching an awareness campaign in the SAARC region. Mahmudul Kabir, Bangladesh Country Director, TdH Netherlands; Advocate Salma Ali, President of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association; Shib Nath Roy, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Jannatul Ferdous, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Thangaperumal Ponpandi, Country Director, TdH Netherlands, India and Nepal; and others spoke. Members of Civil Societies from Bangladesh, Nepal and India took part in the day-long workshop. MAZ RJ