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Winrock International

Project

Ashshash Phase II: For Men and Women Who Have Escaped Trafficking

Funder: The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh

Project Timeline: June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2027

Country: Bangladesh

Program Areas: Human Rights, Education and Empowerment , Countering Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Entrepreneurship

Contacts: Aicha Traore, aicha.traore@winrock.org and Dipta Rakshit, drakshit@winrock.org

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The second phase of Winrock International’s Ashshash project is being implemented in Bangladesh, in collaboration with local partners and governmental agencies. Ashshash is funded by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh. The project works to ensure the protection of human trafficking survivors through various social and economic support services. And, prevent trafficking across at-risk and vulnerable communities in Bangladesh through various awareness activities. The project provides psychosocial counselling to human trafficking survivors directly, their families, and community members, under the umbrella of social services. It also provides healthcare and legal support to the survivors through referrals. Under the umbrella of economic services, Ashshash provides training on vocational skills and entrepreneurship, and subsequently enables wage and self-employment opportunities for the survivors. Ashshash also works to forge strategic partnerships with key governmental and private sector stakeholders of the country, and capacitate service-providers to avail various support services in a more effective manner, with increased accountability. Thus, committing to the project’s motto that ‘men and women who have escaped trafficking will improve their physical, social, and economic wellbeing through project-enabled support services’. The second phase of the project will be implemented in ten of the most trafficking-prone districts across Bangladesh.

Ashshash Phase II builds on key lessons learned from the first phase, expanding important local partnerships to support the delivery of a more comprehensive and personalized package of social and economic support services. The Ashshash team will achieve this through continued to collaborations, and by strengthening institutional capacities to manage cases and provide trauma-informed, better-adapted services.

Phase I

4,875

Survivors (71% Women) Received Psychosocial Counseling Support

1,714

Survivors (74% Women) Received Healthcare Support

4,162

4,162 Survivors (74% Women) Graduated from Skills and Entrepreneurship Training

4,0009

Survivors (74% Women) were Placed in Wage and Self Employment

Phase II

Beneficiary Target:

6,000 Survivors (65% Women)

Awareness Target:

About 2,000,000 Members of At-Risk Communities will be Reached Through Various Awareness and Prevention Campaign

Project Impact:

Men and Women Who Have Escaped Trafficking Restore Their Dignity and Wellbeing, and Become Self-Sufficient