The Hidden Secrets of the Blatantly Obvious: Researching Human Smuggling in the Americas and the Middle East

Transcription

1 The Hidden Secrets of the Blatantly Obvious: Researching Human Smuggling in the Americas and the Middle East By Luigi Achilli and Gabriella Sanchez 13/06/2017 MPC - 1

2 13/06/2017 MPC - 2

3 How can we unveil the allegedly underground and secret activities associated with the facilitation of smuggling? Human smuggling also grounded on notions of solidarity and reciprocity Social aspect as important as the apparently brutal or violent Methodological tools of qualitative research are sufficient 13/06/2017 MPC - 3

4 The Eastern Med Route/Balkan Corridor Time: April 2015-June 2016 Field research: multi-sited field research among Syrian refugees and smugglers in the Eastern Mediterranean corridor: Southern Italy, Albania, Lebanon and Jordan, Turkey and Greece, and FYROM and Serbia. Research participant recruitment: snowball, gate-keepers. Location: Palestinian refugee camps Data collection: focus groups, open-ended and semistructured interviews with migrants, smugglers, authorities,and other key actors of the smuggling market (taxy drivers, hotel owners, etc.); participant observation and field-notes (Elgar). Time: since 2009 The American Corridor Field research: multi-sited field research in US and Mexico Research participant recruitment: snowball, gate-keepers Data collection: open-ended and semistructured interviews with migrants, smugglers, authorities,and other key actors of the smuggling market (taxy drivers, hotel owners, etc.); participant observation and locations frequented by respondents in the contexts of their day to day lives (e.g. restaurants, beauty salons, schools, food stands, park, etc.) 13/06/2017 MPC - 4

5 SMUGGLING NETWORKS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE (I) Area of operation Turkey/Greece Fiberglass boats, rubber dinghies, fishing boats, big cargo ships 1000/1500 euros 1h minimum with a rubber dinghy 13/06/2017 MPC - 5

6 SMUGGLING NETWORKS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE (II) Single-service providers Multi-service networks 13/06/2017 MPC - 6

7 SMUGGLING NETWORKS IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN ROUTE (III) Snake-heads/top men Recruiters Guides, drivers or skippers Money collectors (Hawala shop/western Union) Forgers (passports/formal documents) Suppliers (boat makers, boat owners, car/bus owners); Corrupt government officials (immigration officials) Enforcers Receivers (NGOs?) 13/06/2017 MPC - 7

8 A. COMMON FINDINGS: FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATIONS (I) A system of flexible and independent groups in partnership with one another for short periods Highly differentiated yet flexible structure Roles not integrated into rigid hierarchies and bound by longterm agreements Market with high competition and fast changing scenarios heterogeneity and flexibility of smuggling networks 13/06/2017 MPC - 8

9 B. COMMON FINDINGS: FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATIONS All you have to do is search Facebook by typing: ways to move to Europe or Germany or whatever destination you choose, and you will find plenty of pages that can provide you with a large number of smugglers contacts. Personally, I took a smuggler contact number from a friend who had already approached the same smuggler and who had succeeded arriving in Germany. Once you get to Istanbul or Izmir, it is easy to find smugglers to help you reach Greece: they are everywhere in the city 13/06/2017 MPC - 9

10 C. COMMON FINDINGS: THE MIGRANT-FACILITATOR CONTINUUM smuggler migrant 13/06/2017 MPC

11 D. COMMON FINDINGS: HUMAN SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING The establishment of a smuggling network would work to protect fellow nationals from the systematic exploitation of smugglers of different ethnic background. When border controls intensify and channels of legal entry diminish, migrants likelihoods of being abused and exploited raise dramatically precisely within these ties of kinship and ethnicity. Much of the exploitation (trafficking) taking place in Syria involves family members, acquaintances and neighbours [ ] left with no viable alternatives for survival other than situations that can be characterised as exploitation. (ICMPD 2015:6). One of the main conclusions of our researches is that exploitation was consciously and willingly endorsed by its very victims as a mean to enhance their own mobility. Mahdi s story 13/06/2017 MPC

12 CONCLUSIONS: POLICY IMPLICATIONS An effective eradication of smuggling networks without an adequate understanding of the social and community dimension of smuggling may thus prove difficult because smuggling groups are deeply enmeshed within migratory flows. Nonetheless, EU efforts remain overwhelmingly focused on implementing a security-based policy. Expensive: the large patrolled area hindered the extent of these operations and prompted spiraling financial costs Dangerous: the tightening of border control generally exposes migrants to greater dangers Counterproductive: more stringent border controls can exacerbate the very phenomenon that are intended to fight 13/06/2017 MPC