“If countries do not cooperate, we will never be able to effectively combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling,” said Patrick Gomez, Prosecutor and Principal State Counsel in Gambia.
Gomez was speaking on the sidelines of the first International Forum of Prosecutors countering human trafficking and migrant smuggling organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held from 4 to 6 December in Vienna, Austria.
The event, funded by the European Union (EU), brought together experts from nearly 60 countries and international organizations.
A key event for prosecutors, it aimed to enhance international collaboration, build a strong global network of legal professionals and bolster cross-border efforts to tackle the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
“We must ensure that traffickers and smugglers are brought to justice, prosecuted and convicted,” said Diane Schmitt, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator. “Many of these criminals continue to evade justice.”
It is the job of a prosecutor to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure justice for the victims.
Prosecutors represent the State in applying the law to criminal cases, protecting the rights of those involved in the proceedings and ensuring public safety.
Although their responsibilities vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, prosecutors’ core duties include initiating and conducting criminal action, acting as a party in court proceedings and, in many countries, overseeing investigations.
Prosecutors identify suspects and gather the evidence needed to establish guilt. They support victims throughout the legal process, considering their positions, views and concerns.
In court, they present this evidence to the judge, who determines the suspect’s guilt or innocence and decides on the sentence.
“The most important thing about the job of a prosecutor is the victim,” said Ahmed Sanaa Khalil, Chief Judge and Human Rights Advisor at Egypt’s Ministry of Justice.
“It is about building the trust and showing them that you are there to help.”
“International cooperation is not just important, it is the only way to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling,” Khalil said.
Carolina Barrio Pena, a prosecutor at EUROJUST, made a similar point: “International cooperation is not just important – it is the basis of our work.”
“Without such cooperation, we would not be able to dismantle criminal organizations involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling,” she noted.
“These organizations are like an octopus stretching its tentacles across different countries. If you focus on one tentacle, the other seven continue operating,” she added.
According to UNODC, criminal groups that traffic people and smuggle migrants range from single individuals and small networks to highly sophisticated, mafia-like organizations. They profit immensely from these illicit activities.
“When we talk about human trafficking and migrant smuggling, we are talking about transnational crime,” said Maarten Noordzij, National Prosecutor in the Netherlands. “And transnational crime requires a transnational response.”
Addressing trafficking and smuggling depends on the ability of countries to share information and coordinate actions. This includes understanding where migrants are recruited, how victims of trafficking are exploited, which transport routes are used and how illicit profits are moved.
However, barriers such as differing legal systems, language challenges, limited resources and insufficient data often hamper cooperation among law enforcement professionals in different countries.
The International Forum of Prosecutors attempted to address these challenges by strengthening communication, information-sharing and collaboration among prosecutors.
Key discussions at the forum focused on identifying emerging trafficking and smuggling routes, exploring how organized crime adapts itself and exploits new opportunities, examining innovative investigative techniques and technologies and raising awareness of the gender dimensions of these crimes.
By facilitating dialogue and knowledge-sharing, the forum aimed to empower prosecutors to enhance the detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal groups involved in trafficking and smuggling.
“We need to communicate more,” Gomez said. “Forums like this create the right environment for communication, where our questions are answered”.
“We can share ideas and bring these insights back to our countries to implement them.”
The International Forum of Prosecutors was organized with financial support from the EU under the project: Promoting Action and Cooperation among Countries at Global Level against Trafficking in Human Beings and the Smuggling of Migrants (PACTS).
