Migrant smuggling is inherently a transnational crime because it involves the movement of people and profits across borders. For this reason, an effective response to this crime requires a joint international effort.
Migrant smuggling is the facilitation of irregular entry into a foreign country in exchange for money.
Smugglers are motivated by material gain. They arrange transportation, guidance, forged documents or other illegal services for migrants, but often have little regard for their rights, safety and lives.
For many migrants, the question is often not whether to leave, but how difficult the journey will be.
In situations of war, persecution, poverty, violence, crime or climate-related disasters, staying is sometimes not even an option.
These dire circumstances, combined with limited regular migration opportunities and the difficulty of migrating independently, compel desperate individuals to turn to smugglers for help.
Many are prepared to take enormous risks out of desperation and a lack of alternatives. In some cases, smugglers actively advertise their services, leading potential migrants to believe that the journey will be quick and easy.
The grim reality is that thousands perish every year along smuggling routes. Most migrants drown at sea, sent in large numbers in old boats.
They also suffocate in truck containers, fall from cliffs, die of thirst in deserts or are attacked by wildlife in jungles.
Violence is not uncommon. Migrants are killed by smugglers or other criminals, such as armed groups, terrorists and human traffickers.
International cooperation implies that governments, organizations and individuals work together to achieve common goals and resolve shared problems, especially those that traverse borders and cannot be addressed within one country.
Migrant smuggling is precisely this kind of issue. Migrants begin the journey in their home country and pass through intermediate countries in their quest to reach the country of destination.
Combating migrant smuggling without cooperation between these types of countries would be like treating the symptoms and not the cause of the problem.
Smugglers, who often stay one step ahead of law enforcement, operate flexibly, as either loosely connected networks or highly sophisticated syndicates, constantly adapting their tactics.
It takes an organized response to beat organized crime. Countries should be able to promptly exchange information on routes, means and methods used by criminals.
The UN Migrant Smuggling Protocol – the world’s primary legal instrument to combat this crime – promotes collaboration between countries as one of its main objectives.
What does international cooperation against smuggling look like?
Law enforcement agencies from different countries work together to monitor smuggling routes and conduct intelligence operations using scientific and technological information.
They seek to detect fake travel documents, analyse suspicious financial transactions and investigate the role of smugglers along migration pathways.
Criminal justice experts work to prosecute smugglers, trace and disrupt illicit profits that they earn from their activities and refer vulnerable migrants to protection and assistance services.
At the regional and international levels, countries of origin, transit and destination share information on smuggling trends and practices.
They identify and address evolving migration challenges through dialogue in international fora, such as that offered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Migrant smuggling can be prevented or at least mitigated.
Often, closing borders merely pushes migrants into the hands of smugglers. The fight against this crime should extend beyond border security and law enforcement activities to encompass a broad range of comprehensive measures across various policy areas.
Providing more channels for regular migration and tackling corruption address the reasons why migrants turn to smugglers in the first place.
A significant way to tackle the root causes of migrant smuggling is through development cooperation. Increasing economic opportunities, promoting good governance and combating crime and violence in migrants’ home countries reduce the necessity for them to resort to smugglers.
Effective awareness-raising campaigns are essential for preventing this crime, providing information that empowers migrants to make safer travel decisions.
