Sunrise over the Darien Gap, which hundreds of thousands of migrants cross every year.
In today’s interconnected world, migration is a feature of the lives of millions of people, and one mostly characterized by hope, opportunity and the pursuit of a better life.
A new publication by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), “Countering Trafficking in Persons and Migrant Smuggling in Mixed Migration Movements”, looks at how these crimes occur in the context of international migration and provides recommendations to address the risks these crimes pose to migrants globally.
According to the International Organization for Migration, there were approximately 281 million international migrants globally in 2020 – 3.6 per cent of the world’s population – a figure that is three times the estimated number in 1970.
Migration can be categorized as regular or irregular. Broadly speaking, regular migration is the movement of people across borders in line with the relevant countries’ rules and procedures. Many individuals move abroad to seek education, reunite with family or take up jobs.
Irregular migration is the movement of people that happens outside these legal frameworks. This can include, for instance, entering or staying in a country without proper documentation.
While many people migrate in search of better opportunities, others are forced to leave their homes for tragic reasons: conflict, persecution, violence or natural disaster. According to UNHCR, more than 117 million people were forcibly displaced globally at the end of 2023, including refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people.
Migrant smuggling is when an individual or a group helps migrants enter a foreign country irregularly in exchange for money or another material benefit.
The largest migration flows tend to be from developing countries to larger economies, such as the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia or France. Migrant smuggling flows tend to follow similar patterns.
UNODC estimates that at least 2.5 million people globally were smuggled in 2016 alone.
Irregular migration and migrant smuggling are two different phenomena. Irregular migration refers to the actions of the migrants themselves, while smuggling refers to those who facilitate illegal entry for profit. Such facilitation is a business for smugglers, who profit from people’s desperation.
Smugglers arrange transport, provide false documents such as fake passports or visas or help migrants cross international borders without proper authorization – for profit.
Migrant smuggling is recognized as a crime under international law, primarily through the UN Migrant Smuggling Protocol.
Irregular entry is not smuggling when migrants cross international borders on their own without authorization.
“The demand for migrant smuggling comes from people’s strong motivation to migrate, for example, due to poverty or war, combined with the lack of legal channels for regular migration, and the difficulty of migrating independently,” said Samantha Munodawafa, Legal Officer at UNODC.
“Corruption, obstacles to freedom of movement and security concerns also fuel demand in many regions.”
Irregular migrants and refugees, especially those who are smuggled, often find themselves in fragile situations. They may not have travel documents, may not speak the local language and may be unsure of their rights in the new country - vulnerabilities that can be exploited by migrant smugglers and other criminals. During their journey and on arrival, smuggled migrants may suffer various forms of violence, abuse and exploitation , ranging from beatings, extortion and rape to disease, detention and even death.
“Restricting regular migration routes does not stop migration, it pushes people who do not have access to those routes into the shadows – into the hands of smugglers,” Munodawafa stressed.
UNODC is part of a group of UN organizations that ensure coordinated support for the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration.
The Compact is a UN agreement to promote safe, orderly and regular migration. Some parts of the agreement are dedicated to practical action against migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The new UNODC paper shows how officials responsible for combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking can stimulate discussion and action among a broader range of actors, mobilize resources and strengthen partnerships to better combat these crimes.
It offers concrete recommendations to promote safe and regular migration in several priority areas, such as climate change and child protection.
