Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

including small children, lost their lives or reported missing in such perilous
journeys. 37
Main departure points used by migrant smugglers along the land borders
are Kırklareli and Edirne provinces, whereas Çanakkale, Balıkesir, Aydın, İzmir
and Muğla provinces located along the upper and lower Aegean Sea are the
main exit zones for crossing by boats (İçduygu and Karaçay, 2011). There is
clear evidence from the incidents that boats used by migrants usually face the
danger of getting shipwrecked as they are of very poor quality to reduce the
costs of operation in case of confiscation, operated by inexperienced crew, and
overcrowded with many small children and women not able to swim. 38 Moreover,
boats are reported to sail especially on days when visibility is poor and the sea
is rough to avoid coast guards at either side. Research on migrant smuggling
across the Aegean between Turkey and Greece points to human rights abuses,
as migrants are sometimes pushed back instead of being rescued at sea. 39 The
city of Mersin in Southern Turkey by the Mediterranean emerged as a new route
of migrant smuggling over the last years through the use of large vessels (ICMPD,
2015). The joint operation of Turkish and German special police forces with the
codename Operation Wave in January 2016 against migrant smuggling networks
in the region indicates that both Syrian and Turkish smugglers cooperate to
recruit migrants. 40
37
According to IOM figures, nearly 2,000 people arrive in Europe on a daily basis – 10 times higher than 2015.
The total number of migrants reaching Europe between 1 January and 7 February 2016 increased more than
six-fold when compared with the same time period in 2015; the 92 per cent of them reached Greece (IOM,
“IOM Counts Latest Mediterranean Arrivals in 2016”, Press release, 8 January 2016. Available from www.
iom.int/news/iom-counts-latest-mediterranean-arrivals-2016).
38
T. Brian and F. Laczko (eds.) (2014) Fatal Journeys: Tracking Lives Lost during Migration. IOM, Geneva.
Available from https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/fataljourneys_countingtheuncounted.pdf
39
See European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2013) and the report titled Greece: Frontier of
Hope and Fear, Migrants and Refugees Pushed Back at Europe’s Borders (Amnesty International, London,
2014. Available from www.amnesty.org/en/documents/EUR25/004/2014/en/) by Amnesty International
documenting Greek officials are pushing back migrants at sea back to Turkey.
40
The operation resulted in the arrest of 5 smugglers in Germany and 10 in Turkey. This network smuggled
more than 1,700 mostly Syrian refugees from Turkey to Germany. See Milliyet website for details (www.
milliyet.com.tr/operation-wave-against-refugee-en-2192601/en.htm).
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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