Police Trainings
This week was pretty eventful. We conducted police training for law enforcement inspectors on how to successfully identify and investigate human trafficking cases. They learned more on domestic and international law on TIP (trafficking in person) crimes, how to identify and help victims, how to interview victims and suspects, etc.
It was really gratifying to watch and take notes on the trainings (even though most of it was in Bangla) because it felt like something we were doing that really makes a difference. These are the first responders to any kind of trafficking crime, and the more they know, the better the whole process will go, from victim rescue all the way to a successful conviction. The officers were constantly participating, asking questions, and sharing experiences, which made for a really dynamic 3-day session.
This weekend, I went to church on Friday in Farmgate like usual. On Saturday, I went with a group from UN’s FAO to a predominantly Hindu village, Dhamrai. We visited a brass factory with amazing Hindu sculptures made with an ancient traditional “lost wax” method. They were absolutely stunning. We also visited a Hindu temple and were marked on our foreheads. We went to a nearby village to see them make pottery, which was also amazing. One of the women made yogurt pots to the tune of one every 41 seconds. Because we were with UN staff, in UN cars, we got a police escort, which was interesting, but didn’t save us from being stuck in some extremely bad traffic for a couple of hours in the morning. We were also able to just stop at a random textile factory to use their bathrooms. When you’re UN, apparently you can do that! I was amused.
Saturday night, my roommate and I went to the mall with our friend from church to see Incredibles 2. The theater is at the top of a huge mall, and all the theaters here have a 15-minute intermission in the middle which I really love.
Brazil got knocked out of the world cup, so I don’t know what the country is going to do with all of these massive Brazilian flags flying everywhere. Everyone’s pretty bummed about it and trying to figure out who to root for now that Argentina and Brazil are out. Apparently, the greatest number of Argentinian soccer fans outside of Argentina is in Bangladesh. Who knew, right?