Vienna (Austria) 14 December 2023 – The criminal networks that smuggle migrants on the long and dangerous routes from South Asia to North America have become more ruthless, professional and richer.
Corruption, forgery, and links to other forms of crime, including drug and human trafficking are commonplace but countries continue to face obstacles in their efforts to combat smuggling operations.
These are among the main findings of the two-year STARSOM project undertaken by crime prevention experts at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in cooperation with Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programme.
“We needed to understand how the smuggling networks operate over multiple countries in order to disrupt them,” explained Carlos Perez, UNODC Programme Officer for Latin America.
“The objective of the STARSOM project was to help countries improve investigations and prosecutions of migrant smuggling cases while reducing the threats, risks, and dangers for the migrants involved,” he added.
Every year, thousands of migrants embark on long journeys across the globe in search of new opportunities, safety or better prospects. As legal migration options are limited, many resort to the illicit and risky services provided by smuggling networks.
STARSOM’s activities have led to valuable information on the extent of the crime along routes between South Asia via the Arab Peninsula through West Africa and South, Central America and the Caribbean towards the USA and Canada.
“Migrant smugglers engage in other forms of crime, alongside the smuggling activities, such as document fraud and forgery, corruption and various forms of trafficking,” explained Perez.
“Organized crime groups active in drug trafficking use smuggled migrants as drug-mules and also charge a so-called ‘tax’ to smugglers for allowing them to use the same routes that lead to the US and Canada.”
The crime prevention expert added that migrants are also vulnerable to human trafficking for forced labour or sexual exploitation, especially those who are stranded for varying periods of time and need to earn money for the next step in their journey.
According to UNODC’s research, migrant men are often subjected to forced labour and physical violence, while women are more exposed to sexual crimes.
“Women can be raped as a form of payment for their journey, which can lead to unwanted pregnancies and abortions or deliveries in poor hygienic and medical conditions,” said Carlos Perez.
STARSOM’s work in Central America showed that smuggled migrants are regularly subjected to abuse, violence, and sexual assault, and women and girls are the primary victims.
“At the same time, STARSOM activities showed limited reporting of sexual-based violence crimes connected to migrant smuggling and the lack of access to justice for migrant victims,” he continued.
The STARSOM project found that profit margins for smugglers operating on the transnational routes from South Asia to North America are substantial.
On average migrants pay from a few hundred US dollars for short land crossings to over 10,000 dollars for multi-country or transregional routes via transit air hubs or sea.
“We know that costs can be even higher. Smuggling fees from the Dominican Republic to Mexico have reached the range of US$ 21,000 US dollars,” said Carlos Perez.
“There are even reports of smugglers charging up to 55,000 dollars for transporting people from South Asia Canada on ships.”
The rates smugglers charge vary depending on geography, mode and method of transport, complexity and length of the routes, and the type of documentation needed. Fees for accommodation and bribery costs can also be included.
Rasheed Hasan, an Investigator at the Maldives Police Service, attended three STARSOM training activities.
“Through STARSOM, I learnt a lot about the financial aspects of migrant smuggling and the authorities involved. This is important because the prosecutors recommend that we find and follow the money trail of a crime.”
The Maldives are working on a new dedicated law for migrant smuggling, and offences are currently handled under provisions that regulate immigration and emigration.
“Once the new law is adopted by Parliament, we’re ready to use the knowledge we gained. So STARSOM has helped but we definitely need more training,” said Hasan.
The STARSOM Regional Review includes a section on obstacles faced by law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute migrant smuggling cases and how to overcome them, and a series of recommendations for effective responses to cases of migrant smuggling.
