The UN Protocol against the smuggling of migrants by Land, Sea and Air, defines migrant smuggling as “the procurement,in order to obtain, directly or indirectly,a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person in a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident”1. In recent years, the tremendous events of Lampedusa and the awareness campaigns carried out by international organizations such as UNODC and IOM , as well as the European Union and its agencies, made States realise that a holistic action is needed in order to face the current humanitarian crisis that the phenomenon entails. For the first time, indeed, States are beginning to shift their attention from the problem of mere illegal immigration to what today amounts to a global crisis, whereby thousands of lives are being lost. Trying to escape from their Countries of origin, plagued by conflicts and where the future holds nothing but death and dispair, these people find no choice but to save as much money as they can so as to be able to cross the borders, in the search for a better and more dignitous life abroad. However the price they have to pay is staggeringly high, both in terms of money and in terms of what they have to go through in order to “see land” again, if they ever do.
Migrant smuggling now represents one of the biggest global challenges States are confronted with, but a particular emphasis should be given to the development of this phenomenon in North Africa. A territory where war, hunger and grief take the lead, North Africa is now becoming the main harbour from which people try to leave in order to reach Europe. To do this, people put their money and, more astonishingly, their lives in the hand of unscrupolous smugglers who ensure them the passage. Just a few of those who resort to smugglers are lucky enough to reach their destination. Most of them either die during the journey or, even worse, are “led” to die so as to make the cargo a bit lighter. As sad and unberable as it can be, this is not the worst side of the story. The scariest thing is that these smugglers have recently revealed to be much more organised than expected and much more equipped with profitable contacts which facilitate their work and maximise their benefits. This is what has recently been revealed by UNODC in the november report, after a long and concerted effort by these and many other agencies on behalf of the United Nations and the European Union. The latter has put two agencies at disposal, namely Frontex and Eurosur , which are relentlessy fighting to detect the links which smugglers have established so as to be able to combat the roots of the problems. This is a great step forward and a proof of the new awareness of the fact that migrant smuggling is not “just” a humanitarian crisis but it has made a leap forward to shed light on the other great phenomenon it endorses: transnational crime . Nevertheless, research is still struggling to gather data on such a delicate topic where data is either well hidden or blurred. In order to succeed in the search for a fruitful strategy to withstand the situation and work on it, the Procura della Repubblica di Catania , due to its particularly strategic position, has been entrusted with the task of identifying some core elements which could reveal key to investigations:
- Quantifying irregular migration and smuggling of migrants, with a special focus on North Africa
- The geography of migrant smuggling routes
- Profiles and characteristics of smuggled migrants
- Smuggler-migrant relationships
- Organizational structures of migrant-smuggling networks
- Modus operandi of migrant smugglers
- Smuggling fees
- Human and social costs of smuggling
To date, the data it managed to gather, indeed, turned out to be all but comprehensive of the real scope of the phenomenon. It reports the following digits regarding migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea according to the Country of origin:
| Sub-Saharan region | Countries bordering the Southern or Eastern Mediterranean | Other Countries |
| 35.000 | 55.000 | 30.000 |
Unfortunately,they do by no chance reflect the real scope of the phenomenon. That is why Countries, among which Italy proved to be at the forefront, have been urged to mobilise so as to obtain more reliable and recent data, so as to have a sense of what they have actually to fight against. There is still a lot to work on, and many efforts are to be devoted to this field but as long as we manage to put an end to this unacceptable exploitation of life, I dare to say that almost anything is worthwile.
I would really appreciate further comments on the topic. If you wish to contribute please contact me.
nota 1 Article 3,Supplementing Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime
A dangerous world 