Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

as the migrant smugglers. Several studies used qualitative methods, mainly
interviews and focus group discussions. For instance, Koser (2008) interviewed
50 families of smuggled migrants and 10 migrant smugglers and facilitators,
contributing towards better articulation of the “business” model. Leman and
Janssens (2011) studied smugglers and traffickers in Belgium using 43 Albanian
judicial files from 1995 to 2005. Regarding few quantitative studies, Rahman
and Kabir (2012) used household remittance survey undertaken by IOM in
Bangladesh. Rajan (2014) drew on secondary resources (that is, Eurostat). A
study combined qualitative and quantitative data – quantitative interviews with
404 respondents and focus group interviews with government officials (Kassim
and Zin, 2011). İçli et al. (2015) and McAuliffe and Jayasuriya (2016) also draw
on quantitative data. Unlike the case of West and Central Africa (see Carling, in
this volume), research involving extensive ethnographic engagement at transit
points, along smuggling routes as well as that employing multisited fieldwork is
rare in South Asia.
Academic research and policy nexus
Academic research reviewed here generally provides no specific policy
recommendations although the results may have policy utility (such as McAuliffe
and Jayasuriya, 2015; İçli, Sever and Sever, 2015; Leman and Janssens, 2011;
Reddy, 2012). Yet, some studies have explicitly discussed policy implications.
For instance, Koser (2008) discusses how to combat the migrant smuggling
business model. From a source-country perspective, Saha (2012) highlights the
importance of sharing information between the European Union and India and
encouraging officials to participate in anti-migrant smuggling campaigns. From
the perspective of a receiving country, Kassim and Zin (2011) explore policy
options for addressing the problems of irregular migrants in Malaysia. Similarly,
in view of the Australian context, Ganguly-Scrase and Sheridan (2012) offer policy
options for addressing migrant smuggling, considering the broader political and
individual contexts of prospective asylum seekers.
Conclusion and ways forward
This chapter demonstrates that while there has been promising progress
in terms of data and research on international migrant smuggling and irregular
migration in general in South Asia, there remains a substantial gap. There is
limited information on smuggling activities in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka. When information exists, it is presented in an ad hoc and unsystematic
manner. Given the dynamic nature of smuggling, a concern can be raised that
what is the norm now could be different a short time later. Key examples are
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