Tripoli, Libya - 20 December 2020
Trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and cybercrime can be more than individual crimes. They are also characterized as types of organized crime. The fundamental connection between cybercrime, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling is that they represent a lucrative although illicit business for organized criminal groups, with massive effects on the victims of trafficking or on the migrants who risk their lives to escape violence and conflict. Within that context, UNODC conducted a three-days’ hybrid workshop on countering cybercrime in Libya in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and relevant authorities.
This workshop is the first step of future cooperation aiming to enhance criminal justice actors’ capacities to effectively respond to and prevent cybercrime offenses under the regional project “Dismantling human trafficking and migrant smuggling criminal networks in North Africa,” which is funded by the European Union.
As mobile and computers become increasingly assimilated into daily life, the discovery of digital evidence becomes more and more important for information gathering, investigations, and prosecutions that can help in dismantling trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants’ criminal acts. Hence, the need for enhancing the capacities of the criminal justice actors involved in the fight against cybercrime in Libya.
During this workshop, UNODC delivered presentations on the foundations of cybercrime and the best practices and methods used in dealing with electronic evidence, extraction of data and cryptocurrency, as well as discussing case studies for practical knowledge. Participants representing the Libyan MoI and MoJ discussed their current practice and potential areas of development in both capacity building and equipment spheres to improve their skills in combating cybercrimes.
Dismantling the criminal networks operating in North Africa and involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking" is a three-year (2019-2022) €15 million regional joint initiative by the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the framework of the North Africa Window of the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. The project consists of a regional intervention covering Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia to support the effective dismantling of criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and human trafficking, while at the same time upholding the rights of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable groups.
For More Information:
UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons
UNODC Global Study on Smuggling of Migrants
