Over the years, many people have become victims of smuggling and human trafficking across the globe. Even though most societies have developed and countries have strong measures to curb the practices, illegal activities still thrive in the modern world. Several factors, such as drought, poor governance, immigration restriction, and lack of financial support, prompt many people to engage in the business. In most cases, victims of trafficking are subjected to extreme labor conditions, thus violating their rights. The term smuggling is normally used to replace trafficking; however, the two concepts differ. The variation in the meaning has made it a challenge for nations and international laws to address the issues of smuggling and human trafficking.
The issue of smuggling and trafficking of humans has a significant historical background. Despite the development and advancement in societies, the practices are still common in most countries worldwide. Nations perceive an unauthorized movement of people across borders as illegal, and the majorities have underlying policies to address the processes. Similarly, the facet of trafficking people is categorized as a criminal offense punishable by law. In most cases, the terms smuggling and trafficking are used conversely, even though their meaning is significantly different. In the former, the victims’ opinions are considered, which involves moving through the country’s border to another state. In the latter, individuals’ rights are infringed, and they are prone to exploitation as laborers or sex workers (Szablewska, 2022). It does not necessarily occur past borders but even within the country. Generally, factors such as financial problems, droughts, civil wars, the internet, weak governance, and tight immigration restrictions facilitate the smuggling and trafficking of people across the world.
Generally, human trafficking and smuggling practices are facilitated by the need to attain financial freedom. Smugglers and traffickers engage in illegal events to generate income. Facets such as poverty and inability to afford basic human needs such as food, housing, security and clothing drive most individuals, especially people from underdeveloped countries, to seek opportunities in developing and developed nations. The desire to obtain financial stability and to have a better life usually prompts victims to opt for illegal movement across borders. According to Markovic et al. (2019), challenging financial situations and poor living conditions are some of the crucial factors influencing the engagement of smugglers in the practices. Most people have resorted to selling humans to make them rich quicker. This aspect has made the trafficking of people a common phenomenon in the modern world. Therefore, the need to satisfy financial wants plays a critical role in promoting the trafficking and smuggling of human beings.
Similarly, the ever-changing climatic conditions leading to ravaging drought in most parts of the world is contributing significantly to the cases of smuggling. Many people from countries hit by famine usually seek refuge in other nations. The desire to escape the home situation prompts such people to find ways of passing through borders even without legal documents. The natural occurrence creates an opportunity for smugglers to engage in unethical conduct (Aloyo & Cusumano, 2021). The movements are common in areas that experience extreme rainfall shortages and the limited ability of the national governments to offer significant solutions. Therefore, people opt to be smuggled out of the country to avoid unwelcoming circumstances.
Furthermore, most countries have tight immigration requirements that most migrants are unable to afford. The facet usually forces victims of smuggling to resort to a cheaper alternative, which involves illegal passage through the country’s border. According to De Massol de Rebetz (2021), the existing restriction at the entry point facilitates smuggling services. In other words, victims usually find ways of entering the intended country despite the necessary legal procedures. The smugglers typically take advantage of the demands following the large number of people trying to cross the borders without attracting the attention of the host country’s authority. Therefore, supposing there were less restraint or fewer legal requirements, smuggling would have been reduced significantly since people could access the entries without limits.
In addition, both smuggling and human trafficking thrive in countries that have weak governance. Generally, the vices are encouraged by the inability of the governments to set effective measures against the practices. When the authorities are less concerned, people take advantage and conduct unlawful businesses such as selling other human beings. Campana (2022) posits that local authorities are the weak link that promotes smuggling and human trafficking. Most individuals in power create a positive environment for the traffickers to engage in the practices. Failure to take strong measures allows the offenders to continue their ill mission. Furthermore, most of the smugglers have adopted different strategies, such as offense relocation, which will enable them to enhance their activities (Campana, 2022). The approach is aimed at avoiding encounters with the authorities in the respective country. The shifts in operations have proven effective, and both traffickers and smugglers are benefiting from the tactics.
The international laws regarding cases of smuggling and trafficking have failed to address the occurrences. Generally, human trafficking is a transnational crime that requires effective measures to offer a reliable solution; however, this is not the case since the regulatory frameworks are less practical (Dandurand & Jahn, 2020). Currently, the existing international legal foundation is not productive, which has facilitated unethical practices. According to Dandurand and Jahn (2020), the collaboration toward protecting the interest of migrants as well as trafficked persons is affected by the variation in the regulations guiding smuggling and human trafficking. This aspect has made it challenging for the authorities to offer effective protection for the victimized people. The move by governments to ban the moving of migrants across the country’s borders has made the practice more criminal. In addition, some international laws are ordered cruelly, violating the victims’ rights. When the regulations are ineffective, the perpetrators remain at large executing their ill missions, hence increasing cases of trafficking as well as human smuggling.
Moreover, cases of abduction contribute to the growing number of human smuggling and trafficking. In regions such as Eritrea, people are most likely to be abducted, especially when they cross into certain areas to which they do not belong (Kuschminder & Triandafyllidou, 2020). When there are various tribes in a country, the chances of encountering insecurities are high. Traffickers and smugglers take advantage of the situation and engage in the practices. When a person is kidnapped, the abductors ask for ransom payment as leverage to release the individual. Supposing the family fails to raise the needed amount, the victims are sold. The activities are mainly conducted by organized criminals with practical and well-planned operation networks (Kuschminder & Triandafyllidou, 2020). Therefore, it becomes easier for the perpetrators to execute their deals without being caught by the authorities.
The digital world and the emergence of the internet further contribute significantly to the growing cases of human trafficking worldwide. Antonopoulos et al. (2020) posit that currently, smugglers and traffickers have adopted the use of digital tools to recruit, transport, and extort people, especially in the UK labor and sex markets. The technologies aid the perpetrators in moving the victims into and outside the country. According to Antonopoulos et al. (2020), the people involved in such practices normally use different websites to perform the operations. By relying on the internet platform, the traffickers and the smugglers have the ability to reach a large number of people across the globe without being detected. Unlike offline activities, the online approach allows the operators to transact and seal deals at their remote locations. In addition, illegal traders use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp to lure needy persons. Sometimes, they offer to pretend to provide enticing job opportunities in other countries, which attracts most individuals from developing nations.
Furthermore, the internet makes it easier for traffickers to generate fake documents such as a passports for their targets. Normally, each person is required to have travel forms that authorize movement across borders. Currently, obtaining such documents is more accessible, and there is no need for the smugglers to visit the authorities. Similarly, people who intend to travel abroad are capable of registering online to acquire the paperwork. All these aspects contribute significantly to the growing cases of human trafficking in many parts of the world. The digital platform has made it possible for traffickers to recruit more people than it was being done conventionally. Therefore, technological advancement is a factor that facilitates the smuggling and trafficking of people.
In summary, human trafficking and smuggling have remained a concern over the centuries. Factors such as drought, weak governance, and poor international laws play a significant role in promoting the practices. Even though smuggling tends to differ from trafficking, they are considered an unethical practice punishable by law. In the contemporary world, advancements in technology, such as the internet, have made it easier for smugglers and traffickers to conduct their operations effectively. Platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp allow the perpetrators to recruit many people, hence facilitating the illegal practice.
References
Aloyo, E., & Cusumano, E. (2021). Morally evaluating human smuggling: the case of migration to Europe. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 24(2), 133-156. Web.
Antonopoulos, G. A., Baratto, G., Di Nicola, A., Diba, P., Martini, E., Papanicolaou, G. & Terenghi, F. (2020). The role of the internet and digital technologies in human smuggling and trafficking in the UK. Technology in Human Smuggling and Trafficking: Case Studies from Italy and the United Kingdom, 37-68. Web.
Campana, P. (2022). Human smuggling in North Africa: A preliminary exploration of macro-and micro-level displacement effects. In E. U. Savona et al. (Eds.), The evolution of illicit flows: displacement and convergence among transnational crime (pp. 85–101). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Web.
Dandurand, Y., & Jahn, J. (2020). The failing international legal framework on migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The Palgrave international handbook of human trafficking, 783-800. Web.
De Massol de Rebetz, R. (2021). How useful is the concept of transit migration in an intra-Schengen mobility context? Diving into the migrant smuggling and human trafficking nexus in search of answers. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 27(1), 41-63. Web.
Kuschminder, K., & Triandafyllidou, A. (2020). Smuggling, trafficking, and extortion: New conceptual and policy challenges on the Libyan route to Europe. Antipode, 52(1), 206-226. Web.
Markovic, D. M., Dostic, S., & Radojkovic, Z. (2019). Criminal-law and criminalistics aspects of distinguishing people smuggling from human trafficking. Journal of International Economic Law, 9(25), 121. Web.
Szablewska, N. (2022). Human smuggling and human trafficking. In S. Sayapin et al. (Eds.), International conflict and security law: A research handbook (pp. 1181–1206). The Hague: TMC Asser Press. Web.