US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat on Wednesday said the United States is committed to working closely with Bangladesh to eradicate human trafficking.

“This is a truly important issue for me and for the United States and we are committed to working closely with you to eradicate this modern day evil,” she said while speaking at a bilateral dialogue on human trafficking at American Club in the city.

Countries like Bangladesh, primarily a source of trafficking victims, and countries like the United States itself, a source, transit, and destination country, must work together, said the US diplomat.

Bernicat said the non-governmental organizations bring unique assets to the fight against trafficking. “These organizations conduct prevention and awareness campaigns that caution men and women about the dangers of human trafficking and help them avoid falling victim to traffickers’ ploys and misrepresentations.”

She said NGOs can help law enforcement find victims and can help victims prepare to testify at trial, and support them during their testimony.

The dialogue brought together police, prosecutors and NGOs, from the United States and from Bangladesh, to share expertise and experience, a whole village approach.

The United States Department of Justice’s Office of Prosecutorial Assistance, Development and Training (DOJ OPDAT), the Office of International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (DOJ ICITAP), and the Overseas Criminal Investigations (OCI) branch of the Regional Security Office jointly organized the event.

The event was the first in a series of counter-trafficking programs that the U.S. Embassy plans to conduct in different regions of Bangladesh in the months to come.