Association for Community Development (ACD)

Association for Community Development (ACD) established in 1989 has been working on anti-trafficking issue for last 24 years since 1997 on northwestern part of Bangladesh. ACD does advocacy and social mobilization campaign program towards preventing unsafe migration and trafficking of men, women and children in the case management process. ACD rescues victims/returnees through law enforcement agency, local elected bodies, Counter Trafficking Committee, and community people and restores them. ACD also provides care and support include shelter, food, counseling, education (formal and non-formal), legal aid and legal counseling, life skills training, dance therapeutic movement, skills training, internship (on the job training), job placement, livelihood assistance, family counseling, reintegration and  follow up. ACD maintains the case management process; develop referral and linkage support with other institutional response for rehabilitation. ACD takes actions by advocacy with local administration, Border Guard of Bangladesh, District Manpower and Employment Office, Technical Training Institute, law enforcing agencies, Victim Support Center, One Stop Crises Center, etc. for proving necessary support to the victims and protect them from re-victimization.

ACD got Membership of local national and international networks such as Action against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC), Bangladesh UN Migration Network, National Alliance for Migrants’ Rights, Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants (BCSM), Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), ECPAT International, Cross Border Anti Trafficking Network, and Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW). Member of government committees namely Counter Trafficking Committee (district and sub-district level), Divisional Child Labor Welfare Committee, District Central Monitoring Cell (Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare under Ministry of Labor and Employment), GO-NGO Coordination Committee on Combating Women and Child Trafficking (Task Force Committee on Protection of Trafficking of Women and Children governed by Ministry of Home Affairs), One Stop Crisis Centre, Victim Support Centre. ACD’s Executive Director received Ashoka Fellowship in 1992 on Economic Development (Sectors: Income Generation, Natural Resource Management; Target Population: Communities, Women). ACD received Anti-Slavery International Award 2001 for its work against trafficking in Bangladesh. It addressed thousands of women and children that are trafficked from Bangladesh to India, Pakistan and the Middle East. ACD also got UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Asia and Pacific award on ‘Gender and Rights-Responsive Sustainable Cities in Asia and the Pacific’ 2007.

ACD has clustered its activities into three sectors and designs its programs: (1) Human Rights Sector which includes Gender and Social Justice; Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Development; Promote Safe Migration and Care and Support for the Survivors; Civic and Human Rights Advocacy and Education, (2) Child Rights Sector that includes Prevention and Protection of Children, Victim of Violence and at Risk Situation; Institutional Care and Support for the Child Victims of Violence; Empowerment and Participation of Children and Adolescents and (3) Sustainable Development Sector includes Develop and Functioning of Community based Organizations; Institutional Management and Capacity Building and Economic Empowerment of Rural Women.

ACD works on north western part of Bangladesh in 19 districts under Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions including these districts- Rajshahi, Pabna, Sirajgonj, Naogaon, Chapai Nawabganj, Natore, Bogra, Joypurhat, Rangpur, Nilphamary, Thakurgaon, Panchagar, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Dinajpur, Jessore, Norail and Satkhira

Official Website: www.acdbd.org