Organized crime is not in retreat. Quite the reverse; it is spreading far and wide, and contrary to popular belief, it is much more damaging than terrorist activity. The success of any initiative to combat the wide-ranging effects of organized crime depends on a thorough understanding of its geographical, historical and political aspects. Without careful, well informed strategic planning, there is a danger that the problem will only be dealt with piecemeal; individual actors may be apprehended, but the organization as a whole will shift and mutate, never losing its criminal character. All too often, arresting only one member or branch of a criminal organization not only fails to weaken this sector but can unwittingly strengthen it by assisting the activities of criminal competitors. --

Ten years ago the topic of human smuggling and trafficking was relatively new for academic researchers, though the practice itself is very old. Since the first edition of this volume was published, much has changed globally, directly impacting the phenomenon of human smuggling. Migrant smuggling and human trafficking are now more entrenched than ever in many regions, with efforts to combat them both largely unsuccessful and often counterproductive. This book explores human smuggling in several forms and regions, globally examining its deep historic, social, economic, and cultural roots and its broad political consequences. Contributors to the updated and expanded edition consider the trends and events of the past several years, especially in light of developments after 9/11 and the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They also reflect on the moral economy of human smuggling and trafficking, the increasing percentage of the world's asylum seekers who escape political violence only by being smuggled, and the implications of human smuggling in a warming world.

This study shows that migrant smuggling routes affect every part of the world. It is based on an extensive review of existing data and literature. The study presents detailed information about key smuggling routes, such as the magnitude, the profiles of smugglers and smuggled migrants, the modus operandi of smugglers and the risks that smuggled migrants face. It shows that smugglers use land, air and sea routes - and combinations of those - in their quest to profit from people's desire to improve their lives. Smugglers also expose migrants to a range of risks; violence, theft, exploitation, sexual violence, kidnapping and even death along many routes.

Publisher Description

This report presents initial findings from a scoping study titled “Economic Value of Human Smuggling to Transnational Criminal Organizations.” A primary goal of this study, which was completed in less than two months, was to develop a preliminary estimate of transnational criminal organizations’ (TCOs’) revenues from smuggling migrants from the Northern Triangle region of Central America—consisting of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador—to the United States. In addition, we sought to establish what is known or knowable about the characteristics, including the structure, operations, and financing, of TCOs that engage in human smuggling along those routes.

This incisive study combines the two subjects and views the migration scholarship through the lens of the gender perspective.

This book examines the economic consequences of immigration and asylum migration, it focuses on the economic consequences of legal and illegal immigration as well as placing the study of immigration in a global context.

The publication was developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in response to the request of the General Assembly to the Secretary-General to promote and assist the efforts of Member States to become party to and implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto. It was developed in particular to assist States in implementing the provisions contained in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing that Convention. The Model Law will both facilitate and help systematize provision of legislative assistance by UNODC as well as facilitate review and amendment of existing legislation and adoption of new legislation by States themselves. It is designed to be adaptable to the needs of each State, whatever its legal tradition and social, economic, cultural and geographical conditions.

In the first general interest book to examine the phenomenon of people smuggling, investigative journalist McGill gives a global overview of this criminal activity, including firsthand accounts from smugglers and the smuggled.