Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

(2012) investigated “entrepreneurial culture” among Albanian smugglers and
traffickers, analysing 43 Albanian judicial files in Belgium from 1995 to 2005, as
well as the personal agency of the smuggled and practices in shaping specific
entrepreneurial culture. Drawing on surveys of over 35,000 households in
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Australia, McAuliffe and
Jayasuriya (2016) show that asylum policy was a key reason why refugees sought
asylum in Australia.
Further, irregular migration within South Asia has also been studied
(Kumar, 2012; Rahman and Kabir, 2012). Kumar (2012) highlights open border
between Nepal and India as a conduit for irregular migration despite several
benefits. Based on the review of the existing literature, Reddy (2012) investigates
patterns of irregular, cross-border illegal migration in the South Asian region.
Some research has also considered the implications of irregular migration on
families left behind, such as in the case of Bangladeshi migration to Italy (Rahman
and Kabir, 2012).
The review of the existing literature suggests that more research is needed
to unpack the process of migrant smuggling throughout the migration journey
and actors involved. Similarly, further in-depth studies into migrant smugglers
are required to explore smugglers throughout the migration journey, their
roles, sharing of fees and risks they face. Equally important is transnational links
between smuggled migrants and their family members residing back home.
In terms of geographical focus, almost all Sri Lankan-based research was
undertaken by Australian-based researchers, while Indian and Pakistani research
was funded by European-affiliated institutions. Bangladesh-specific research
was rare, and those that did exist appear to be funded by the UNHCR.
Each country is unique, as is the smuggling process from each country. As
such, it is difficult to present details that are applicable to all studies. Generic
information is that smugglers appear to operate using business models, with
different layers and structures depending on the country of origin and country
of destination. The fees vary considerably from source countries, with agents
in Sri Lanka and India charging the most, followed by agents in Bangladesh and
Pakistan.
Methodology
The methodologies applied are largely qualitative, with only approximately
one fifth using quantitative techniques. This appears reasonable, given the
difficulty obtaining scale for interviewing smuggled irregular migrants, as well
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8. South Asia