Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

physical and mental harm, and sometimes death. Increasingly, more vulnerable
groups of migrants are moving irregularly, including women and children, raising
a raft of complex issues for State and non-State actors alike.
One of the more challenging issues for State actors is that of corrupt officials
who can play critical roles in smuggling and trafficking networks (McAuliffe and
Koser, 2015; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
2015). The UNODC has highlighted the significant role corruption plays in migrant
smuggling, noting that (2011:3):
Migrant smuggling could not occur on the large scale that it so often does
without collusion between corrupt officials and criminals. Corruption
seriously undermines national and international efforts to prevent and
control the smuggling of migrants … [it] may occur in countries of origin,
transit, or destination. It may be systemic, institutional or individual.
In some circumstances, the distinction between “corrupt officials” and
“criminals” may in fact mask more dire and entrenched behaviour in which
smugglers/traffickers can themselves be corrupt officials holding positions within
law enforcement, justice, immigration, customs, passport offices, border police
and other related government agencies. In environments of endemic corruption,
people movement is just one area of regulation that can be exploited for
personal gain. In some societies, extracting a bribe in exchange for a fraudulent
document, a stamp in a passport, entry to or exit from a country are likely to
be commonplace. Even in less corrupt societies, the opportunities perceived by
some officials may be considered greater than the risks of being caught.
The media are also an important non-State actor, including as a contributors
to the grey literature as a result of investigative reporting on smuggling (see
discussion in Chapters 2, 8 and 9). The media is also peripherally involved in
smuggling and irregular migration indirectly. First, the media plays a role in
the provision of information to migrants (and potential migrants) in a range of
situations: when they are considering their migration options, when they are
assessing where to migrate, in determining the safest and best way to travel,
and so on. Second, the media also plays a role as a vehicle in the polarization
of the public discourse on aspects of migration, and irregular migration and
smuggling in particular. This becomes problematic particularly when smuggling
and trafficking are used interchangeably, often further confusing complex issues
of movements and depicting an overly simplistic view of migrant smuggling.
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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