Fighting transnational organized crime

In the last decade organized crime has expanded and diversified rapidly, propelled by the opening of new markets and new communication technologies. Measures to combat this problem are on the agenda at the Eleventh Congress.

Since the end of the Cold War, it has become clear that countries with economies in transition are particularly vulnerable to the growth of organized crime. Now, a new generation of organized criminal groups are emerging, particularly from States embroiled in or emerging from long periods of conflict.

While drug trafficking remains one of the principal sources of profit for most criminal groups, many have diversified their activities in recent years and now engage in a wide variety of illegal pursuits, including trafficking in persons, firearms, cultural objects and natural resources.

Modern technology and the latest developments in communication, including the Internet, have also allowed organized criminal networks involved in the trafficking of human beings to expand their activities and take advantage of a growing market for international "sex tourism".

Human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation has, in the last decade, developed into a multimillion dollar enterprise. According to UNODC data on human trafficking trends, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and CIS Member States are the main regions where victims of trafficking are recruited. Central and Eastern Europe is also a major transit region, and developed countries in Western Europe and North America continue to be the main destinations for victims.

The phenomenon of kidnapping has also grown considerably in the last decade, most notably in Latin America but also in parts of Asia and Africa, where organized criminal groups have been responsible for the upsurge in cases of kidnapping for ransom.

Besides the traumatic implications for victims, the impact of kidnapping may also be broader - discouraging investment particularly when business leaders or their families are targeted. Lack or inaccuracy of reporting incidents is a key impediment to assessing the extent and nature of the problem. Many victims do not report their kidnapping because they are afraid of potential retaliation by criminal groups or kidnappings occur within criminal groups or are resolved under the condition of not reporting the incident.

This article is a summary of the working paper "Effective measures to combat transnational organized crime", prepared for the Eleventh Congress. To view the complete paper.

"Without a doubt, the greatest single threat
today to global development, democracy
and peace is transnational organized crime."

Antonio Maria Costa,
Executive Director of UNODC.