As part of a package to address migrant smuggling, on 28 November 2023, the European Commission proposed a regulation to strengthen police cooperation and Europol's role in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings (COM(2023) 754). The proposal was not supported by an...

Migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings (THB) pose a serious threat to the EU's security, as well as to the irregular migrants and THB victims involved. Both crime areas are embedded in the broader serious and organised crime environment, with criminals taking advantage of existing...

Can providing information to potential migrants influence their decisions about risky and irregular migration? We conduct an experiment with over 7,000 secondary school students in Guinea, providing information through video testimonials by migrants who settled in Europe and through aggregate...

Can providing information to potential migrants influence their decisions about risky and irregular migration? We conduct an experiment with over 7,000 secondary school students in Guinea, providing information through video testimonials by migrants who settled in Europe and through aggregate...

Criminal networks engaged in the illicit cigarette trade exhibit remarkable resilience in the face of external threats and the evolving landscape brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war. They adeptly navigate these challenges by swiftly altering smuggling routes, modifying their methods of...

Despite the link between conflict and human trafficking having been globally recognised, academic inquiry investigating how the two interact continues to be limited. Given the recency of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022, this lack of literature is...

Illicit arms trafficking in Ukraine has been a significant issue since the Cold War, with leftover Soviet stockpiles providing lucrative smuggling routes. With over US$100 billion in aid being provided by the West, a sizeable portion being in the form of small arms and guided infantry weapons...

Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a growing concern across the European Union (EU), demanding a coordinated and comprehensive response from law enforcement (LE). The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) identified THB as the fourth most urgent training priority in its...

The EU action plan against trafficking in cultural goods, adopted on 13 December 2022, aims to deter organised criminal networks effectively, to address evolving security threats and to protect cultural heritage within and beyond the EU. It builds on existing EU activity and addresses ongoing...

This is a theoretical treatment of the term "Sha Zhu Pan" (杀猪盘) in Chinese, which translates to "Pig-Butchering" in English. The article critically examines the propagation and validation of "Pig Butchering," an animal metaphor, and its implications for the dehumanisation of victims of...

Kazakhstan, with its open borders with CIS nations and significant migration flows, emerges as a key origin, transit, and destination point in human trafficking. While acknowledging Kazakhstan’s modest progress in combating human trafficking, this study aims to develop comprehensive proposals...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and EU Added Value of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings (THB) and protecting its victims. Through detailed desk research and extensive data collection...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and EU Added Value of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings (THB) and protecting its victims. Through detailed desk research and extensive data collection...

Objectives: This study examines the convergence of smuggling and trafficking in persons along the Central Mediterranean Route (CMR) to Europe. We explore where and how these phenomena blur, impacting states’ obligations and policy decisions. Methods: We analyse 71 interviews with migrants who...

Congress enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 which, through its amendments, gives victims of human trafficking, including forced labor or slave labor, a private right of action against those who knowingly benefit from the abusive labor practices perpetrated on them. Even...

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the factors leading to the phenomenon of child trafficking in Egypt, how deeply it runs through the Egyptian society and evaluate the state's efforts to combat it. Design/methodology/approach - This research paper uses a case study method applied to the...

The Orinoco Mining Arc (OMA) is in the south of Venezuela, a region rich in minerals and natural resources with a particular social, economic, and security dynamic. Due to its remoteness and difficult access, different actors have found a privileged space to conduct criminal activities....

Kazakhstan, with its open borders with CIS nations and significant migration flows, emerges as a key origin, transit, and destination point in human trafficking. While acknowledging Kazakhstan's modest progress in combating human trafficking, this study aims to develop comprehensive proposals...

The shadows of a drug paddler may soon be invisible on the street corner as they have moved to online drug marketplaces called 'cryptomarkets'. The criminogenic attributes of drug trafficking on cryptomarkets have attracted organized crime groups (OCGs) to make use of technology to further its...

Revealing the harsh reality of trafficking in persons and forced labour within the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region, the Regional Baseline Assessment sheds light on prevalent challenges and critical gaps in addressing these criminal activities. Despite efforts to combat trafficking,...

Although human trafficking has long been a tragic part of history, in recent years it has become an ever-growing problem globally, and in many cases facilitated a modern form of slavery. In the twenty-first century, human trafficking is not only intertwined with international drug cartels but...

In Ireland, between 2015 and 2020, 356 people were identified as suspected victims of human trafficking by An Garda Síochána. Of them, approximately 59 per cent were third-country nationals. This study examines the policy and practice in Ireland for the detection of a situation of human...

An estimated quarter- to half-million guns are smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico each year. Seventy percent of guns recovered at Mexican crime scenes are traced back to the U.S. Many of these weapons are military-styled assault rifles, shipped into Mexico by U.S. drug gangs. This pipeline...

Trafficking in human beings is a violation of fundamental rights and a serious crime. More than 7 000 victims of trafficking are registered in the EU every year. The actual number of victims is likely to be significantly higher as many victims remain undetected.

In Ireland, between 2015 and 2020, 356 people were identified as suspected victims of human trafficking by An Garda Síochána. Of them, approximately 59 per cent were third-country nationals. This study examines the policy and practice in Ireland for the detection of a situation of human...

Conditional on a set population of opioid-dependents, opioid fatalities are a function of the total quantity available and the ease of accessing that quantity. While other studies examine policy changes affecting aggregate supply, I focus on the effects of easing access by changing the trade...

The report focuses on risk factors that are expected to increase the vulnerability to human trafficking from and within origin countries such as economic shocks, measured by large, discrete changes to export commodity prices and to GDP. It also explores the role that institutions play through...

This policy brief presents the main findings of the report "Economic Shocks and Human Trafficking Risks. The report focuses on risk factors that are expected to increase the vulnerability to human trafficking from and within origin countries such as economic shocks, measured by large, discrete...

In cases of mergers and acquisitions, anti-tax loss trafficking rules aim to prevent loss trafficking between firms and may result in the expiration of the target’s accumulated tax loss carryforwards. The acquirer is not willing to pay a premium for loss carryforwards as they do not reflect...

Child trafficking is a long-lasting social issue in China. We argue that abducted children increase as an indirect and unintended consequence of improved urban infrastructure, such as the construction of expressways that facilitate the expedient transfer of victims between cities. To identify...