Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

8
SOUTH ASIA
Dinuk Jayasuriya and Ramesh Sunam
Introduction
The South Asian region – comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – is a hub of irregular and regular
migration flows. Widespread news coverage of Indian and Nepalese migrants
illegally entering the United States through Guatemala and Mexico (Irfan, 2012;
Wells, 2013), and Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants roaming in Kuala Lumpur
to make their way to Australia for seeking asylum (ABC, 2015) are some of the
examples of what irregular migration looks like in the region. While all forms of
irregular migration may not involve smuggling, most cases of irregular migration
from and to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are undertaken with the
assistance of migrant smugglers (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), 2015). The dynamics of irregular migration in the region is largely
rooted in political conflicts, ethnic violence, economic disparities, deep poverty
and food insecurity. Nevertheless, it also reflects the aspirations of relatively
educated and wealthy individuals and families to settle in “western” developed
countries.
Much of the discussion relating to people smuggled from Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Pakistan and India has focused on those seeking protection (Jayasuriya
and McAuliffe, 2013; Koser, 2008; Rajan, 2014; Saha, 2012; United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2015a; UNODC, 2013). They have
been smuggled within the region (for example, Sri Lankans to India, Pakistanis
to Sri Lanka and Bangladeshis to Pakistan) and beyond, to Europe and other
developed countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand (UNODC, 2015). Many attempt to seek asylum in these countries, while
others remain there as unauthorized workers. People from Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also smuggled for labour purposes to the Middle East
(Saha, 2012; UNODC, 2015). They may continue to work illegally, and from there,
some may also migrate onwards to a developed destination country.
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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