Understanding Contemporary Human Smuggling As a Vector in Migration a Field Guide for Migration Management and Humanitarian Practitioners
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Understanding contemporary human smuggling as a vector in migration A field guide for migration management and humanitarian practitioners May 2018 A NETWORK TO COUNTER NETWORKS Understanding contemporary human smuggling as a vector in migration A field guide for migration management and humanitarian practitioners May 2018 Cover: A truck loading migrants and goods on the southern Libya highway. Photo by Tom Westcott © 2018 Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Global Initiative. Please direct inquiries to: The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime WMO Building, 2nd Floor 7bis, Avenue de la Paix CH-1211 Geneva 1 Switzerland www.GlobalInitiative.net Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................1 Summary ............................................................................................................................................2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................2 Who is this guide intended for and what is its aim? ..............................................................3 What is a smuggler? ......................................................................................................................4 Distinguishing between human smuggling and human trafficking ..................................4 Typology of the smuggling industry ........................................................................................5 Full-package smuggling service .............................................................................................................................6 Pay as you go model ......................................................................................................................................................7 Roles within smuggling networks .........................................................................................................................8 Migrant recruiters ................................................................................................................................................9 Logisticians ..............................................................................................................................................................10 Drivers .........................................................................................................................................................................10 Transporters ............................................................................................................................................................10 Intelligence gatherers .......................................................................................................................................10 Security providers................................................................................................................................................11 Specialists .................................................................................................................................................................11 Moving money: Hawala traders .................................................................................................................11 Counterfeiters ........................................................................................................................................................12 Human smuggling as a community ‘enterprise’ and a source of economic opportunity ............................................................................................13 The economics of the human smuggling industry ......................................................14 Human smuggling: A supply and demand industry ..............................................................14 Recruitment enabled by social networks .................................................................................15 What sets price? ............................................................................................................................15 Payment modalities ......................................................................................................................16 Pay upfront ...........................................................................................................................................................................16 Payment to a trusted third party ............................................................................................................................16 Pay later ..................................................................................................................................................................................17 v Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Understanding contemporary human smuggling as a vector in migration A scale of criminalization: Smuggling markets – from benign to criminal ..............................................................................................................18 Indicators of criminal consolidation ......................................................................................... 19 Pricing structure ................................................................................................................................................................19 Profile of migrants ............................................................................................................................................................20 Characteristics of the journey...................................................................................................................................20 Violence ..................................................................................................................................................................................20 Corruption and the role of the state in migration ........................................................21 Corruption of state officials ........................................................................................................21 State and smuggler: A symbiotic relationship ........................................................................21 Considering corruption in policy responses ............................................................................22 Distinguishing between corruption and policy ......................................................................22 Rethinking the smuggling–trafficking nexus .................................................................23 What can we do (differently)? ..................................................................................................24 Accepting compromise: The panacea myth.............................................................................25 Understanding the state’s political economy to tailor an appropriate response .............25 Broadening the dialogue ............................................................................................................26 Mapping and monitoring the smuggling market ..................................................................26 Decrypting data/drowning in data .......................................................................................................................26 Developing a monitoring tool .................................................................................................................................27 Identifying and monitoring vulnerabilities ......................................................................................................28 Rebuilding safeguards .................................................................................................................29 Payment structures .........................................................................................................................................................29 Relationship between smuggler and migrant community...................................................................29 Journey characteristics .................................................................................................................................................30 Advocacy ........................................................................................................................................30 Awareness-raising strategies ......................................................................................................30 Engaging with the diaspora........................................................................................................32 Creating mobility ..........................................................................................................................33 Facilitating employment opportunities ...................................................................................33 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................34 Sources of information ................................................................................................................36 Notes