SPOTLIGHT October 2016 GANG and ORGANIZED CRIME RECRUITMENT & USE of MINORS

SPOTLIGHT October 2016 GANG AND ORGANIZED CRIME RECRUITMENT & USE OF MINORS Historically, illegal armed groups (IAGs) in Colombia have made a regular and control activities, they have a complete loss of the exercise of their rights, practice of recruiting and using minors. Given the prevalence of criminal gangs individuality, and agency. On the other hand, children who are used by illegal and bacrims (criminal gangs that emerged out of the United Self-Defense Forc- armed groups tend to come from urban areas and are only involved with groups es demobilization in 2006), past precedent suggests that, unfortunately, youth on a part-time basis, thus potentially maintaining their social and familial ties. recruitment will likely persist in some form in the Colombian context, even after Used children are part of an open regiment, have less military training, may or current peace negotiations conclude in Havana. Children have been tasked with may not manage firearms, and have only indirect involvement with combat, if roles such as look-outs, gathering intelligence, transportation, and various forms any. Children used by illegal armed groups have lesser participation in registry of labor; they have also been used as key protagonists to carry out torture, as- and control activities, and experience a partial loss of the exercise of their rights, sassinations, and to transport and plant explosives. Within the framework of the individuality, and agency.1 While these are not hard and fast distinctions, do armed conflict, they have also been sexually abused, trafficked, and prostituted. offer a useful frame of reference. This Spotlight reviews both the recruitment and use of minors in the Co- Following is an analysis of five international case studies of criminal gangs lombian and international contexts. In the Colombian case, children who are and organized crime syndicates. Among other commonalities, the included recruited by illegal armed groups tend to come from rural areas and become groups all use minors in their day-to-day operations and/or revenue-generating permanently involved with the group, thus breaking social and familial ties. Re- strategies. While street gangs, organized criminals, rebel insurgents, and ex- cruited children become part of a closed military regiment, have significant tremist groups might differ in their structure, size, goals, and relationships with military training, may handle large weaponry, and may have direct combat ex- their contexts, they all must maintain and grow their membership: children are perience. Although recruited children may have greater participation in registry an important aspect of these efforts. FEATURED GANGS AND CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS MARA SALVATRUCHA (MS13) ROMANIAN MAFIA LOS ZETAS Founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s, US The Romanian Mafia, among other activities, The Gulf Cartel began recruiting Mexican immigration policies and the El Salvadorian Civil targets marginalized families for loan sharking Special Forces in 1999; eventually Los Zetas War helped to give rise to one of the largest and, when they are unable to repay the loan broke away to form their own criminal and most ruthless gangs in the world. They have and interest, the families are forced to hand organization. The organization deployed a a robust transnational network throughout the over their children for labor purposes with specific strategy targeting American-born Northern Triangle, Mexico, and Canada, and gen- the mafia. Common uses include trafficking, children of Mexican descent to train them erate revenue primarily through drug and human organized begging, and sale to other gangs as assassins in Mexico and release them on trafficking. MS13 also operate on a barrio-level in the European Union. When handed over the US side of the border to conduct op- cell model, recruiting minors from neighbor- along with their parents (typically mothers), erations for the organization. Recruitment hoods where there is an existing gang presence; use can begin in infancy (e.g., begging in other and use of minors typically begins around recruitment can begin around 8-10 years of age. major cities in the European Union). 10 years of age. CAPE FLATS GANGS MALAYSIAN NUMBERS GANGS With origins in apartheid policies, West Cape, South Africa has decades-old Contemporary Malaysian “Numbers Gangs” have their origins in entrenched gang structures. Discriminatory apartheid practices led to geo- the Chinese Triads. In the 1980s, the Chinese Triads began to move graphic segregation along racial and economic lines and, through a variety of into legitimate businesses and the Numbers Gangs evolved out of related dynamics, effectively destroyed traditional family networks of young this shift. Some of these gangs have all-female branches who recruit persons. Twelve recognized street gangs and three notorious prison gangs school girls to fill the ranks. Typical revenue generating activities in- operate in the Western Cape. Gangs largely participate in the drug econo- clude drug manufacturing, prostitution, lone sharking, extortion, and my and in maitaining their turf. Recruitment often begins at 12 years old. smuggling. Recruitment tends to start at 13 years old. RECRUITMENT TACTICS Gangs and organized crime syndicates deploy a wide range of tactics targeting minors, with some more coercive in nature than others. Create gang image that is Leverage gang Offer protection in attractive to youth (wealth, family networks: exchange for gang power, fraternity, women, drugs, children, younger membership (esp. In weapons, etc.) siblings, etc. prisons) Maintain and expand gang Target marginalized Force minor into presence (physically in geographies, races, classes, committing severe neighborhoods and on new housing projects; persons crimes in order to bind media with which youth engage) “abandoned” in some way them to the gang Threaten minor or LESS COERCIVE Use existing minors Disguise “entry level” gang Appeal to Allow youth within gang to recruit activity as not gang-related, minor’s family with MORE COERCIVE child’s sense to “hang out” their peers; peer escalating until minor is fatal violence if they of adventure with gang pressure obligated to stay do not join Offer money to the minor to Trick minor (often through promising entice them to move closer work with good wages or framing to the group; bribe them with gang membership as something other goods, women than belonging to a gang) Source: IOM analysis based on various studies 1 http://www.derechoshumanos.gov.co/observatorio/publicaciones/Documents/150831-definir-utilizacion-tarea-dificil-web.pdf International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission in Colombia RPR Program SPOTLIGHT October 2016 SHARED QUALITIES OF RECRUITMENT & USE PROCESSES AND TACTICS Although each context and group has its own dynamics, certain overarching tendencies mark recruitment and use of minors in the global cases examined for this Spotlight. Recruitment tactics and processes are… …GENDERED …STRATEGIC • Girls may be recruited to serve as “girlfriends” for existing • More lenient or even lack of prosecution of minors in many members; sexual exploitation common (MS13, Romanian Mafia). countries makes them attrative to to groups for committing the • Initiation may require gang rape (MS13). most severe crimes. • “Big sisters” in female gang units recruit girls to commit • Children are easier to indoctrinate: less likely to confess due to crimes and charge peers with gang protection fees (Malaysian fear, more likely to return to group after incarceration. Numbers Gangs). • Those incarcerated are useful for recruiting and expanding • Girls may be used to recruit boys and create a sense of gang presence in jails. obligation to the gang. • Children are more likely to escape detection of authorities. …RELATIONSHIP-BASED …HETEROGENEOUS & ADAPTIVE • Many new recruits join gangs for friendships and recreational • Groups deploy a variety of tactics within a single context to purposes (MS13). maximize recruitment numbers. • Typically join via an older male figure, often a family member • Leaders will alter tactics in order to account for contextual (Cape Flats Gangs, Romanian Mafia). changes (Los Zetas). • Offer a sense of solidarity, protection, and analternative • Recruitment of minors may spike as a result of policies “family” to entice young persons. intented to limit the practice (Cape Flats Gangs, MS13). THE USES AND ABUSES OF MINORS BY GANGS AND ORGANIZED CRIME Two analytic distinctions provide a useful starting point for thinking about activities (e.g., recruited from schools) or end up in the gang or syndicate as the role of minors in gangs and organized crime syndicates. The first is whether a result of other forms of recruitment intended to grow the adult ranks (e.g., or not the children form part of the operational membership of the groups (e.g., child accompanies recruited/trafficked parent). Following, are the mechanisms gang members) or part of the product portfolio (e.g., child prostitute). A second by which many of these organizations recruit minors, as well as the types of consideration is whether or not the minors are the explicit target of recruitment activities minors engage in once they are in the groups. By geography: schools, neighborhoods, shelters. Revenue generation (as group operative): car theft, burglaries, robbery, begging gangs, shoplifting, mugging, drug By social ties: peer groups and friendships, older family mules, sales of drugs and weapons. members, beloning to targeted marginalized groups

Load more