According to the first ever global study on people smuggling, at least 2.5 million migrants were trafficked in 2016. The study was released Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Migrant smuggling occurred in all parts of the world and generated an income of up to $7 billion, equivalent to the amount the United States or the European Union spent on humanitarian aid that year.
Global crime requires global action
"This transnational crime preys on the most vulnerable of the vulnerable," said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, UNODC Director of Policy Analysis and Public Affairs. "It's a global crime that requires global action, including improved regional and international cooperation and national criminal justice responses," he added.
The study describes 30 major smuggling routes worldwide and finds that demand for smuggling services is particularly high among refugees who, for lack of other means, may need to use people-smugglers to reach a safe destination fleeing their countries of origin. Data suggests that many smuggling routes include unaccompanied or separated children, who might be particularly vulnerable to deception and abuse by smugglers and others.
Thousands of dead each year
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, smuggling results in thousands of deaths each year. Statistically, the Mediterranean appears to be the deadliest route, accounting for around 50 percent of the total number of deaths. The UNODC study says that not only have some migrants been murdered along smuggling routes, but they are also vulnerable to a range of other crimes, including violence, rape, kidnapping and trafficking in persons.
According to the report, smuggling networks often engage in systematic corruption ranging from the local to the international level, and operate a range of schemes, including fake marriages or employment rackets; counterfeiting travel documents and the corruption of senior officials. Smugglers often advertise their business in diaspora communities, refugee camps or through various social networks online, involving migrant groups.